Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday reiterated that his country does not seek an escalation in the Middle East but reserved the right to defend itself against Israel's attack with a “measured and calculative” response.

Iran rushed to downplay the impact of Israel’s strikes on its territory this weekend, suggesting that it has taken an off-ramp to avoid a wider war, but the attack set a precedent the Islamic Republic has tried to avoid since its inception 40 years ago.

While initially designed to simulate ground-launched ballistic missiles while in flight, such ALBMs have some notable advantages over their ground-based counterparts.