Dozens of Israeli Fighter Jets Fly Toward Iran's Border Days Before Israeli Election

Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets flew toward Iran's border on Monday, Israeli and US officials told Axios, in an operation more than 800 miles from Israel. The jets and aerial refueling aircraft crossed Syrian and Iraqi airspace and turned back near Iran's western border, on a route resembling earlier Israeli strike paths. Officials said Israel told the US in advance and called it a power-projection exercise meant to deter Iranian attacks. Some US officials suspected Israel hoped Iran would fire on the aircraft. It came a week before Israel's October 27 election, the same day Pete Hegseth met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base; Axios's sources said the two were unrelated. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment to Fox News.

Left-leaning outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing; alternative and right-leaning outlets had, largely relaying Axios. Right-leaning Breitbart stresses the show of force and deterrence, noting officials' acknowledgment of miscalculation risk and Fox's separate report. Alternative outlet Antiwar.com stresses the suspected provocation and says Netanyahu could gain politically from renewed conflict. Axios leads with the operation's scale.