Tehran, Iran – Iran's use of hundreds of drones and missiles to directly target Israel on Saturday night and Sunday morning set a number of major political and military precedents. It was the single largest drone attack ever carried out by any country, and it was the first time Iran directly attacked Israel after almost a half-century of being archenemies. Here's a look at what political, military and economic considerations Tehran might have factored in while deciding on the attack that has amplified fears of a larger regional war and that could also affect the direction of Israel's war on Gaza. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dubbed the operation "True Promise" to show that top leaders in Tehran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intend to make good on their vows of "punishment" for attacks by Israel and others. The attack was a direct retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven IRGC members, including two generals in charge of leading operations in Syria and Lebanon, along with six other people.

It could listen to its neighbours in the region and exercise what is known as "strategic patience", holding off from responding in kind and instead continuing to target Iran's proxy allies in the region such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or military supply sites in Syria, as it has been doing for years.

The Palestinian Hamas group has expressed support for Iran after it launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for a deadly assault on its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus. In a statement on Saturday, Hamas, which governs the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, said it affirmed "the natural right" of countries and peoples in the Middle East to defend themselves "in the face of Zionist aggressions". "The military operation carried out by Iran against the Zionist entity is a natural right and a due response to the crime of targeting the consulate in Damascus," it said. The Iranian salvo, fired late on Saturday night, consisted of more than 300 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones, according to the Israeli military. Some 99 percent of the projectiles were intercepted, an Israeli spokesman said, with help from France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

US President Joe Biden has condemned the Iranian drone attacks on military facilities in Israel, reiterating Washington DC's "ironclad" support and a coordinated Group of Seven (G7) diplomatic response, even as reports started to emerge that he is also seeking to de-escalate the situation. Biden cut short a trip to Delaware and returned to the US capital to meet advisers following the late Saturday night attack, the White House said in a statement. The statement said that US forces and facilities had not been hit, adding that the US helped Israel in taking down "nearly all" of the attacking drones and missiles. The US president also he reiterated the "ironclad" support for Israel's security in a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he has had strained relations over Israel's handling of the war in Gaza. "I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel," the White House quoted Biden as saying.

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports that the U.S. military has shot down'dozens' of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as attack drones. International world leaders collectively condemned Iran's drone and missile attacks on Israel, calling for peace in the Middle East. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he condemned Iran's "reckless" attack against Israel. "I condemn in the strongest terms the Iranian regime's reckless attack against Israel," Sunak said in a statement. "Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard."

Gen. Anthony Tata analyzes where America stands amid the Israeli-Iranian conflict on'The Big Weekend Show.' Jewish organizations shared their "strong" support for Israel's "right and obligation" to defend themselves from the onslaught of missile and drone attacks from Iran. Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein said that the nonprofit organization "strongly supports" Israel's "right and obligation" to defend themselves against Iran's attacks. "ZOA strongly supports Israel's right and obligation to aggressively defend itself from the attacks against it by the extremist, Jew-hating, America-hating Islamic Republic of Iran," he said. WHITE HOUSE SAYS US SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IS'IRONCLAD,' WILL'SUPPORT THEIR DEFENSE' AMID IRAN ATTACK Morton Klein of Zionist Organization of America attends a hearing at the National Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2017. The organization's president encouraged Israel to "devastate" Iranian nuclear facilities, saying that they were "totally behind" Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7. "We also strongly support Israel taking this opportunity to destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities being developed to destroy the Jewish State and massacre millions of Jews, and others," Klein said.

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports that the U.S. military has shot down'dozens' of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as attack drones. Israelis breathed easier in the early hours of Sunday, after an attack from Iranian drones and missiles largely fizzled in the face of the Jewish state's powerful air defenses with assistance from the U.S. military and other allies. A senior US official told Fox News that the U.S. military has shot down "at least dozens" of Iranian drones en route to Israel early Sunday local time, adding that U.S. military engagement is ongoing. "U.S. forces in the region continue to shoot down Iranian-launched drones targeting Israel. Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect U.S. forces operating in the region," a U.S. military official told Fox News.

Trump's third visit to the battleground state comes just one day after his election integrity joint press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson. Following Iran's attack on Israel, former President Trump shared a heated message to those in attendance at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, vowing it should not have happened. "Before going any further, I want to say God bless the people of Israel. That's because we show great weakness," Trump said to open his speech. "The weakness that we've shown is unbelievable, and it would not have happened if we were in office. They know that, and everybody knows that."

On Saturday, Iran launched more than 200 drones and cruise missiles at Israel. As the drones made their way across the Middle East en route to their target, Israel has invoked a number of defense systems to impede their progress. None will be more important than the Iron Dome. The Iron Dome, operational for well over a decade, comprises at least 10 missile-defense batteries strategically distributed around the country. When radar detects incoming objects, it sends that information back to a command-and-control center, which will track the threat to assess whether it's a false alarm, and where it might hit if it's not.

Tehran launched its overnight attack in response to the killing of its Quds Force Commander, Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was killed two weeks ago in an air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.