Sometimes the smallest details reveal the greatest truth.
At the Kirya in Tel Aviv -- the massive, fenced Israeli military headquarters in the center of the city -- top officers meeting on Saturday morning were told not to order takeout.
Too many delivery drivers arriving at once might tip off Iranian intelligence that something unusual was underway.
For even as Israel planned to launch one of the most ambitious military operations in their history, in close coordination with American allies, there was deep caution and even respect for the enemy.
For good reason.
Not far from my home in Tel Aviv, a residential building took a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike on Saturday in one of the first rounds of Iranian retaliation.
Missile Strikes Kill Civilians and US Troops Amid Escalation
The Iron Dome, Arrow-3 defensive missile shield and various other systems are effective but not infallible. One woman, a Filipino guest worker, was confirmed dead.
As of Sunday afternoon, at least nine people were killed by a direct missile strike on a house in the central town of Beit Shemesh. Two dozen others were pulled from the rubble -- injured but alive.
And by late morning eastern time, the world learned at least three US servicemembers were killed and five seriously wounded.
Despite the stunning early successes of Israel's Operation Roaring Lion and America's Operation Epic Fury, retaliation and the specter of terrible unintended consequences loom, but the potential upside has never seemed so great.
Throughout the years that I was the Associated Press' Middle East editor, I recall attending many briefings about the Israel military's contingencies for eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat.
In the early 2010s in Israel, it was believed that an attack on Iran's command and control elements was imminent, but it was always the political echelon, including the then-cautious Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held back.
Why Now? US and Israel Seize 'Decisive Juncture' in Iran
So, why now?
In short, Tehran's recent massacre of an estimated 40,000 of its own people during January protests created a grassroots Iranian desire for a coup that didn't even exist nearly seven months ago, during the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June.
Then, Israel was joined by American B-2 bombers, which struck and destroyed Iran's three main nuclear sites.
But after the dust settled, the Iranian regime was left to nurse its wounds.
No longer.
This time the US and Israel are working together to see the Islamic Republic tumble.
Indeed, regime change rarely works well. But in this case, the success of joint strikes has created a decisive juncture.
It is difficult to see the White House agreeing to anything less than a full Iranian surrender on US terms and it is difficult to imagine Tehran, even after confirmation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, accepting them.
The US is demanding the verifiable end of significant Iranian uranium enrichment or missile capability and the full cessation of support for proxy militias that have spread havoc around the region.
Iran Defiant as Conflict Enters Dangerous New Phase
To date, there is no sign that Iran will concede.
The next days and weeks could go several different ways.
The regime might well choose to double down, wait for Trump's impatience to kick in and for domestic criticism in the US to mount over the lack of Congressional approval of the war.
One possibility, not to be discounted, is that Trump decides that the killing of so many top enemy leaders already constitutes a version of regime change and opts to walk away, claiming Iran’s offensive capabilities have again been 'obliterated.'
A similar scenario occurred in Venezuela, where the United States captured dictator Nicolas Maduro, then claimed victory and permitted the Chavista regime to remain in place.
Meanwhile, Iran seems to be attempting to shock Europe into pressuring the US and Israel to stop the attack.
Iran has been firing scores of missiles and launching armed drones at Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, causing damage at Dubai's international airport.
Internal Fault Lines Threaten Iran as Pressure Mounts
For Tehran, this is a waiting game, but time is running out for them as well.
Trump has publicly urged Iranian Revolutionary Guard leaders and foot soldiers to stand down, wisely offering them amnesty. If even a fraction of these officers begins to wobble, especially as the masses of Iranians take to the streets, chances rise for a combined revolution and palace coup.
At the same time, Iran has other threats from within.
Their population of 90 million includes more ethnic Azeris (a Turkic ethnic group) - up to 20 million - than neighboring homeland, Azerbaijan, itself.
There are substantial numbers of Baluchi (indigenous Sunni Muslims) and Arab minorities who could align against the regime with their fellow regional clansmen.
And the Kurds, a distinct ethnic group, living inside Iran has long signaled their ambitions for autonomy from the majority Shi'a, ethnically Persian state. Already a coalition of five major Kurdish groups have formed a joint bloc in protest of the Islamic regime.
Iran Crisis Carries High Stakes for China and Global Order
Finally, there is an unpredictable and substantial geopolitical element to all of this.
Iran has been an asset for Beijing. The chaos the regime stokes ensures that the West remains distracted from China's rising ambitions.
If the Islamic Republic fractures or reorients, the implications are vast: for example, if war erupts over Taiwan, China will need Iran more than ever.
China buys more than 80 percent of Iran's oil exports at deep discounts. Even though these revenues have kept the Islamic Republic afloat, Beijing has benefited from this flow of subsidized energy.
The fall of the Iranian regime would likely spark a global realignment, stretching far beyond the Middle East.
This war - and its consequences - are far from over.