Iran has been trying to project military strength ever since its ballistic attack on Israel, as pro-government media has been playing footage of missiles soaring over Israeli cities and warning of a "doomsday scenario" if Israel strikes back, according to The Washington Post.
Israel is defeating Iran's allies in the Middle East, making it more vulnerable to attack.
"We have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region. We are not afraid of war, we are ready for war, but at the same time we don't want war," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a visit to Baghdad last week.
Iran reportedly sees Israel as "increasingly unrestrained," the Post reports, as it isn't listening to the Biden administration to move in the direction of de-escalation.
"They have come to the conclusion that Israel wants to eliminate all of its threats. That includes Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran," Vali Nasr, a Middle East expert and senior professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said of the leadership in Tehran.
Iran sent a major barrage of ballistic missiles on Israel on October 1st after Israel killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut in September. The strike on Nasrallah also killed Abbas Nilforoushan, a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israel reportedly plans to avoid striking Iran's oil production facilities, however, that does not preclude targeting its refineries.
"And that would potentially be something to hit in order to disrupt the domestic situation in Iran. Maybe resulting in fuel shortages, you know, seemingly geared toward domestic instability," Colby Connelly, director of the economics and energy program at the Middle East Institute, said.
For Iranians who oppose the current government, the prospect of Israeli strikes makes some wonder if they should support the attack. Some believe that they may bring the downfall of the Iranian government, but others fear more repression of the Iranian population.