Bloomberg reported Israel's attack on Iran's consulate in Syria, killing Revolutionary Guards' command, prompting Iran to suspect Syria's involvement in previous assassinations.
Analysts noted a general trend within formal circles in the Islamic Republic attempting to minimize the attack and its implications.
Only a few days ago, the IDF Home Front Command lifted basically all restrictions on normal life in Israel, something which suggested that Jerusalem was not that close to striking back.
The IDF was looking for a way to respond to the attack without being dragged into a direct and ongoing confrontation.
The message was unmistakable: 'We chose not to hit your nuclear sites this time, but we could have done worse right here,' sources told the Post.
Iranian media showed a video of what they claimed were quiet scenes around the country, trying to show that very little had actually happened.
The United States has repeatedly denied involvement in the Damascus strike, which killed senior IRGC officials.
The strike killed seven staff of the aid group World Central Kitchen (WCK), including citizens of Australia, Britain, and Poland, and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
An alleged Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus Monday night resulted in the killing of a number of Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Quds Force generals.
The Wall Street Journal termed the killing of Zahedi “the first real price” that Iran has paid “for its proxy warfare in the Middle East.”