Explain why calling the DELETE method in REST API is considered an idempotent operation.

In REST API, the DELETE method is considered idempotent because repeated calls to this method with the same URI result in the same outcome — either the resource does not exist or it has been deleted. Even if multiple DELETE requests are sent in a row, the server's state will not change after the first successful deletion. This property is important for the reliability and predictability of the API, especially in cases of network failures and retries.