Iran launched multiple deadly waves of missiles and drones toward Israel into Saturday morning following Israel’s unprecedented strikes aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program and decapitating its military leadership.

Under the Islamic Republic that took power in 1979, enmity toward Israel has been a core ideological tenet of Iranian foreign policy and a key driver in its regional policy. Over decades, their rivalry played out mainly through indirect actions by Iran and by covert operations from Israel.

Israel’s decision to attack Iran’s nuclear program on June 12 might go down in history as the start of a significant regional war, and the inflection point that led Iran to finally acquire nuclear weapons.