All bets are off, so are the gloves

Ironic as it may sound, the 180 ballistic missiles that Tehran fired at Israel on Tuesday night may have been designed to cool the temperature in the region.

- V Sudarshan

For one, the White House tipping off the world ahead of the attack saying it was imminent effectively means that Iranians may have deliberately drawn attention to their manoeuvres, in the hope, among other things, Washington might be able to better restrain Tel Aviv.

The Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed that he worked the phones to emphasise the attacks did not represent an escalation. He also said the necessary messaging to the Americans had been done via the Swiss mission in Tehran.

No one seriously believes that Israel will brush off the attack as being of little consequence.

What did Tehran achieve by waving this red rag to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is proceeding without any restraint, as evidenced by both his actions and his stated intentions? For one, the Iranians may have been left with little choice but to respond to the depredations the Israelis have wrought over the last year in terms of the targeted assassinations of the various Iranian, Hezbollah and Hamas leadership.