On Saturday night, Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, nearly all of which were intercepted, in a direct response to Israel’s strike earlier this month on an Iranian consular building in Damascus that killed seven Iranian commanders. (Washington Post)
Our Take
Immediately after Iran’s attack, a rigorous debate began over how to interpret it. The sheer amount of drones and missiles that Tehran fired suggests a clear goal of escalation. But there are other aspects of the attack that paint a more nuanced picture of Tehran’s intentions:
Combined, these factors suggest that Tehran’s goal was to respond to Israel’s strike without necessarily provoking further escalation of the conflict.