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Iran's recent missile and drone strike on Israel seems largely symbolic, likely a response to internal pressures after Israel's airstrike on their Damascus facility. This controlled retaliation shows Iran's attempt to manage national pride without escalating to full-scale war. A strategic move more about sending a message than causing real damage.

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I'm sorry, but 331 drones and missiles, including 110 ballistic missiles is not a symbolic gesture.

Those missiles and drones could have caused a lot of death and a lot of damage if the defense was any less then it was.

Also, they did cause a lot of "damage" in terms of expended defense capabilities.

I don't completely disagree, but note that Iran probably factored in the defense capabilities when choosing what to do. They likely wouldn't have sent such a massive wave if they thought it would kill hundreds of people.

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