The threats through diplomatic channels have prompted Arab states to tell the U.S. that they won’t aid any attack on Iran.

He could have used his network of proxies to launch an indirect attack against Israel or set off a wave of regional terrorism. Both are steps he has taken in the past. Instead, Khamenei chose to fire hundreds of projectiles at Israel’s second-largest city: one of the largest biggest ballistic missile attacks in history.

Israel’s defense minister says his country’s retaliation for a recent Iranian missile attack will be “lethal” and “surprising.”