Dozens of Israeli fighter jets conducted flights toward the Iranian border on Monday, according to Israeli and U.S. sources cited by Axios.
The operation, which took place more than 800 miles from Israel, was carried out one week before the Israeli elections and on the same day U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base. Axios said the flights were not connected to Hegseth’s visit.
According to the report, some Israeli and U.S. officials said the flights were not unusual and were intended to deter Iran. However, they could have resulted in a miscalculation, an Iranian response and a renewed outbreak of war.
Sources said the exercise involved dozens of fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft. The aircraft followed a flight path consistent with a potential strike on Iran, passing through Syrian and Iraqi airspace before turning back toward Israel as they approached the Iranian border.
U.S. officials said the Israelis knew that Iran’s air defense systems would detect the flights.
According to the sources, Israel informed the United States in advance about the operation, describing it as a training exercise intended to demonstrate military strength and deter Iran from launching attacks against Israel ahead of the elections.
However, some U.S. sources said they had the impression that Israel hoped the Iranians would fire at the aircraft, potentially providing a justification for launching strikes against Iran.
Fox News reported Tuesday that the Israeli Air Force had conducted an exercise toward Iran.
Meanwhile, Axios reported last week that Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed in early October the possibility of launching a new large-scale military operation against Iran before the Israeli and U.S. elections.
Netanyahu reportedly told Trump that he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating that Iran was taking troubling steps to rebuild its nuclear program.
Sources said Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine at the time that reigniting the war during that period could lead to the postponement of the Israeli elections, given the possibility of an Iranian response.
Source: Axios
