Iran's attack on Israel was calibrated to minimise damage, say analysts. But what next?

Iran's attack on Israel was telegraphed ahead of time and calibrated to minimise casualties, say US defence analysts.

- Bhagyashree Garekar

The question now is what Israel will do and whether the United States can rein in the conflict.

"At some level, the attack was telegraphed weeks ahead of time, giving both Israel and the US time to respond," Dr Raphael Cohen, director of the strategy and doctrine programme at Rand's Project Air Force, told The Straits Times.

"They were conducted at night so civilians were at home, and were relatively slow-moving so Israel and its allies had a chance to intercept them," he added.

"All this means that Iran likely knew there would be limited casualties and damage from the strikes." There is an element of optics at play here, said Professor Benjamin Radd, a lecturer in law and global studies at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Another clue was that the Iranian delegation at the United Nations issued a statement that "the matter can be deemed concluded", even before all the drones would have made it to Israel, he added.