It was serious

The coordinated and massive Iranian attack on Israel was a determined attempt to cause catastrophic losses and destroy F35 fighter aircraft. 120 ballistic missiles had a flight time of 12 minutes. Israel must restore deterrence. This cannot be new normal.

— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) April 15, 2024

At both the White House press briefing and the State Dept. press briefing a day or two ago, reporters asked multiple times if Iran had sent a message to the US that warned when they were about to launch their attack on Israel. Both John Kirby and Matt Miller denied any such message was sent from Iran to the US.

I think this trope ... Iran didn't really mean to hurt Israel, Iran's attack wasn't serious ... is all about trying to keep Israel from responding militarily (and to quell any sympathy for Israel).

But as retired General Barry McCaffrey wrote above, the attack was real, serious, and it deserves a response.