Iran's Unprecedented Air Assault on Israel Marks 'Beginning' of Conflict

A decadeslong shadow war between Israel and Iran escalated to what military analysts warn could signal the "beginning" of a bigger conflict after the Islamic Republic emerged from the shadows on Saturday and fired a barrage of drones and missiles from its soil directly at targets in the Jewish state.

While Tehran is portraying its unprecedented air assault — which sent more than 350 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and attack drones through the skies — as a tailored response to an April 1 Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Syria that killed a top Iranian general and others, the regime's decision to strike directly from Iran represented a major shift in posture.