Iran's recent launch of approximately 180 high-speed ballistic missiles at Israel signifies a strategic attempt to cause significant damage during the nighttime assault. This approach contrasts sharply with the more predictable drone and missile attacks that occurred in April. The rapid nature of ballistic missiles poses a considerable challenge for interception, yet initial reports indicate that there were no fatalities in Israel and only one in the West Bank. This outcome suggests that, despite the large number of missiles fired, the attack may not have achieved its military objectives, although some missiles or their debris did impact the ground. Iran likely aimed to preserve the majority of its missile stockpile for potential future conflicts with Israel, indicating a calculated approach to its military strategy. The attack's scale would have necessitated Israel to deploy advanced and costly defense systems to counter the threat effectively.

Iran has characterized its recent missile strike on Israel as "legal, rational, and legitimate." This high-stakes attack reflects the Iranian leadership's belief that their previous restraint following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh was a strategic error. The Iranian government stated that the decision to launch dozens of missiles at Israel was made by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the recent killings of key leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which are integral to Iran's so-called axis of resistance. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed that this decision was supported by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the Iranian defense ministry.

In a tragic incident, a UN worker was killed by an Israeli sniper in the northern West Bank, marking the first death of an UNRWA employee in the region in over a decade. Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad, a sanitation worker for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, was shot while on the roof of his home in el Far’a camp during the early hours of Thursday morning. He leaves behind a wife and five children. This incident comes as friends and family in Turkey mourn the loss of a US-Turkish activist who was killed by the Israeli military during a protest just six days prior, approximately 30 kilometers away. In a related development, the Israeli military reported that a missile launched from Yemen struck an unpopulated area, further escalating tensions in the region.