Dozens of Israeli fighter jets approach Iran's border in show-of-force drill

Key Facts

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew close to Iran's border on Monday in an operation Israel described to the United States as a show-of-force drill, according to Israeli and U.S. officials who spoke to Axios. The outlet detailed the operation in a report published on Wednesday, warning of the risk that a military miscalculation could lead to renewed war between the two countries. Fighter jets and refueling aircraft took part in the drill, according to sources who spoke to the outlet about the aircraft involved. The aircraft flew through Syrian and Iraqi airspace along a route Axios said was consistent with a potential strike against Iran. As they approached Iran's border, the aircraft turned around and returned to Israel, the same sources said.

Israel notified the United States ahead of the operation, describing it to U.S. officials as a drill intended as a "show of force," according to Axios sources. U.S. officials told the outlet that the Israelis knew Iranian air defense systems would detect the flight. Offering their assessment of Israeli intentions, some U.S. sources said they had the impression that Israel was hoping the Iranians would fire on the aircraft. According to the impression those sources conveyed to Axios, such fire would have given Israel a justification to launch strikes against Iran. The outlet warned that the operation could have led to a miscalculation triggering an Iranian response and reigniting the war between the two sides.

The flight took place on the same day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, according to Axios. Sources who spoke to the outlet denied any connection between the flight and the U.S. defense secretary's visit, despite both taking place on the same day. A Netanyahu spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that the prime minister and the U.S. defense secretary had met, saying their talks covered regional security issues. The spokesperson said Netanyahu and Hegseth discussed "threats in the region," along with the U.S.-Israeli partnership in addressing those threats both offensively and defensively. On the U.S. position on launching an attack, Axios cited the White House as saying President Donald Trump had declared that the United States would not attack Iran before the midterm elections.

The developments come after Reuters reported in mid-October that Israel and Iran had not exchanged fire since June. In an interview with Army Radio, Netanyahu was asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike before the Israeli elections and accusations by his opponents that he was seeking a confrontation with Iran. The prime minister responded that this was "not appropriate for us, and not good," according to Reuters, in his answer to questions about a confrontation before the vote. On military preparations, Investing cited the Financial Times as reporting that targets for an Israeli bombing campaign that had been prepared included power plants. According to the same account, the target list also included nuclear facilities and Iranian regime assets as part of the campaign covered by the newspaper's report.

On the Iranian side, security official Mohsen Rezaei said his country would not hand over "a single particle of enriched nuclear material," according to a statement carried by Iran's state broadcaster and reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday. Rezaei stated his position on the enriched material during a meeting with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, according to the agency, which reported details of his remarks. The Iranian official also addressed Tehran's position on negotiations with the United States during the meeting, setting a condition concerning U.S. steps before entering talks. Rezaei said Iran would not negotiate with Washington until the United States took confidence-building steps, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, a report published by Investing on Wednesday said Israeli forces remained on high alert.

In energy markets, Brent crude futures fell during Wednesday's trading as traders assessed conflicting reports on efforts to end the Iran war, according to Investing. Crude futures fell 0.4% to 108.38 dollars a barrel in the trading reported by the outlet. That price was recorded by 13:23 GMT as traders monitored developments concerning the war and efforts to end it. On the U.S. political timetable, Trump's pledge, as relayed by the White House, remains tied to the period before the U.S. midterm elections. In Israel, voters are scheduled to go to the polls on 27 October, according to the Associated Press.