International Politics

[PhoenixDark]

I think Iran got spooked by Jordan and Saudi Arabia joining the defense. They had threatened Jordan and Jordan had closed their airspace for US and Israeli planes but rescinded that when Iran attacked.

The slow moving drones were send to overwhelm the Iron Dome so the missiles could pass through. Same tactic Russia uses in Ukraine. The attack was planned to do significant damage to military targets in Israel. Those ballistic missiles are too costly to fire otherwise.

On paper sure, but they ultimately knew the drones would be shot down. It's the ultimate "see, we tried" statement for optics. Similar to when the US telegraphs a missile response at an empty building somewhere. 

I'd go even farther and argue that if we had removed US military support from Israel due to their outrageous actions in Gaza, Iran would not have attempted to attack. The presence of US might in that theater, and the understanding that an attack would be diffused/not escalate, is what inspired the Iranian response. I say that to point out I still believe we should remove military support and call, ramp up sanctions, remove UN protections, and call for Bibi to resign.