Iran launched its first full-scale military attack against Israel on Saturday, unleashing a barrage of missiles and drones on dozens of targets across the country. Sirens filled the air well into Sunday morning as Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system picked off the incoming projectiles one by one.

While certainly dramatic, the weekend’s developments shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody who has been watching the region’s politics closely since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attacks in southern Israel.