Dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew toward the border with Iran last Monday in what Israel described as a deterrence exercise.
However, U.S. officials expressed suspicion that Israel was deliberately trying to provoke Iran into opening fire on the aircraft, possibly seeking a good pretext for new attacks against Iran, according to the Axios website.
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The operation, which took place more than 800 miles from Israel, coincided with a surprise visit by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, to Israel, where he met with Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the possibility of resuming military operations against Iran.
He followed a flight path consistent with a potential attack on Iran, passing through Syrian and Iraqi airspace, and as they approached the Iranian border, it turned around and returned to Israel, the sources said.
Israeli and U.S. officials stated that the operation—which was not unusual and was intended to deter Iran—could lead to a miscalculation, triggering an Iranian response and reigniting the war.
According to the same sources, Israel notified the U.S. in advance and described the operation as a “show of force” training exercise and was intended to deter Iran from launching attacks against Israel ahead of the elections.
Last week, Axios reported that Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed in early October the possibility of launching a new major operation against Iran before the elections in Israel and the U.S.
Netanyahu told Trump that he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating that Iran is taking alarming steps to rebuild its nuclear program, but the U.S. president appeared cautious due to the upcoming midterm elections in the U.S.
