A likely scenario was that Iran knew that most if not all wouldn't go through the air defense system of Israel and its allies, making it mostly a symbolic display of disapproval. Although, they only targeted the Strait of Hormuz (hijacking a tanker of Israeli ownership), which will piss off many more people than just the West and its allies.

It does however represent a form of escalation, and that can be attributed mostly to the recent actions of Russia.