Dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew near the border of Iran on Monday, according to a report from Axios, a move that may have been meant to provoke an Iranian attack.
The report, which cited unnamed US and Israeli officials, said that the Israeli warplanes flew through Syrian and Iraqi airspace, following a flight path consistent with potential strikes against Iran.
The sources told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Israel notified the US ahead of time and described the provocative flight as a “power projection” aimed at deterring Iran from attacking Israel before the October 27 Knesset. But US officials were left with the impression that Israel was hoping the Iranians would fire at the aircraft.
Netanyahu may benefit from a renewed conflict before the elections, and if Iranian missiles are striking Israel, it could actually postpone the vote. In the days leading up to election day, he has ramped up his rhetoric, declaring on Wednesday that he’s directed the IDF and the Israeli spy agency Mossad to “overthrow the Iranian regime.”
The US and Israel have been closely coordinating, and the Israeli Air Force operation near the Iranian border occurred the same day that US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was in Israel and met with Netanyahu, though Axios’s sources said the meeting wasn’t related to the flight.
