For all the talk of the threat Iran posed to Israel and the wider region, Netanyahu never pulled the trigger on a major military operation. Instead, he authorized sporadic high-risk, high-reward operations from Israel’s Mossad spy agency, including the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and the stealing of the country’s nuclear archive.

The United States’ overnight attack could cause further escalation. To Israelis, it is already seen as a victory for Israel, and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Sunday that he had been notified about the strikes "at least 24 hours before" their execution. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized Washington as a "warmongering and lawless administration" that he holds "solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression.