Israel maintained pressure on its historic adversary for nearly a month, but finally launched an attack as announced. The explosions that shook Tehran marked the beginning of a massive operation conducted by the Jewish state, which employed about one hundred aircraft. The already fragile Iranian anti-aircraft defenses were bypassed, and in just three hours at least twenty targets were hit, including military facilities, missile positions and radar systems.

Benjamin Netanyahu followed the operation from his bunker, which was launched in response to rockets fired by the ayatollah regime on October 1. Although it was a significant, not devastating, attack, it was carried out to comply with US pressure not to expand the conflict to a regional level. In line with this contained strategy, Iranian authorities were reportedly warned through intermediaries before the fighters intervened.

Tehran’s response was to downplay the damage suffered, which may indicate that the cycle of retaliation may stop there for now. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had announced a “lethal, precise and surprising” attack. The aim was to punish Tehran for its two hundred ballistic missiles launched against Israel in revenge for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh and other members of Hezbollah.

Operation Days of Repentance was launched on Saturday morning, with a massive deployment of Israeli forces. Jets and drones neutralized anti-aircraft batteries and radars in Syria and Iraq to prevent any response from local Shiite militias. Bombings then began against various targets in Iran, including military bases around the capital and in the provinces of Khuzestan and Ilam. The IDF said that strikes on missile production facilities and air defense systems were carried out simultaneously; the operation was declared over with all aircraft returning without losses.

Among the targets hit was a “special component” used to refuel the long-range Khaybar and Qassem missiles. This is the first time such a significant attack has directly hit Iranian soil since the war with Iraq in the 1980s. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari later noted that Israel now has greater freedom of action in Iranian airspace. This was therefore more of a demonstration of Israeli military power than a direct attempt to inflict serious damage.

The Israeli government reportedly informed Tehran about the targets of the strikes in an effort to avoid escalation; however, Netanyahu denied this version of events. The restraint shown by Israel reflected the desire of the United States, which had been pressuring the prime minister to spare vital infrastructure such as energy or