Despite stunning early successes in Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran, a weekend of intensive bombardment and retaliation is raising questions about Israel’s exit strategy – how it can end this conflict with its ambitious goals achieved.

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other late on Saturday, stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world's biggest gas field.

Shops and restaurants are shuttered. School is suspended. The airport is closed. Bleary-eyed residents trudge between shelters and bedrooms all night as bombs crash. The front page of the largest newspaper put it succinctly on Sunday: “History.