There is a difference between "consequences for foreign policy" and "consequences for the people actually on the ground".
Swift action on the part of the military and State Dept. after the leaks is what helped make it possible for there to be, in the end, little consequence to foreign policy and little to no fatalities for the people they knew about.
That does not mean, however, that there was no existential threat between the time the leaks were published and the time when that action was finally complete.
The fact that the State Dept. might have been able to salvage the situation doesn't mean there was never a problem in the first place.
Swift action on the part of the military and State Dept. after the leaks is what helped make it possible for there to be, in the end, little consequence to foreign policy and little to no fatalities for the people they knew about.
That does not mean, however, that there was no existential threat between the time the leaks were published and the time when that action was finally complete.
The fact that the State Dept. might have been able to salvage the situation doesn't mean there was never a problem in the first place.