45-Year-Old Enmity, Then A Syria Spark: Build-Up To Iran Attack On Israel

Last night, Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles targeted at Israel. Tel Aviv said most drones and missiles were successfully intercepted

Iran's massive drone offensive against Israel comes against the backdrop of a nearly 50-year-old rivalry that emerged in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution. The Hamas attack on Israel cities last year and Tel Aviv's brutal counterstrike triggered a war in Gaza and Iran is learnt to be backing several players such as Hezbollah in their offensive against Israel.

The drone attack, however, is the first instance in which Iran launched a strike against Israel from its own soil. Tehran has underlined that it is an act of self-defence after Israel's suspected attack on its embassy in Syria's Damascus earlier this month. Iran has now put the ball in Israel's court, saying that it hopes there would be no further escalation and "the matter can be deemed concluded".

Here's looking at factors and build-up leading to the escalation: