Israeli military conducts massive "power projection" operation near Iran's border
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An Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jet flies over the outskirts of Tel Aviv on March 20, 2026. Photo: by Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images
Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a sortie on Monday, flying as far as the Iranian border, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.
Why it matters: The operation, more than 800 miles away from Israel, took place a week before the Israeli elections and on the same day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda Air Base. The sortie wasn't connected to Hegseth's visit.
- While some Israeli and U.S. officials said the sortie wasn't unusual and that it was meant to deter Iran, it could have led to a miscalculation, triggering an Iranian response and reigniting the war.
Behind the scenes: The exercise involved dozens of fighter jets and refueling aircraft, the sources said.
- It followed a flight path consistent with a potential strike against Iran, passing through Syrian and Iraqi airspace.
- As the aircraft approached the Iranian border, they turned around and returned to Israel, the sources said.
The intrigue: U.S. officials said the Israelis knew that Iran's air defense systems would detect the sortie.
- According to the sources, Israel notified the U.S. in advance and described the operation as a training exercise intended for "power projection" and aimed at deterring Iran from launching attacks against Israel ahead of the elections.
- However, some U.S. sources said they had the impression that Israel was hoping the Iranians would fire at the aircraft, providing a justification for launching strikes against Iran.
- Fox News reported on Tuesday that the Israeli Air Force conducted a drill towards Iran.
Driving the news: Last week, Axios reported that Netanyahu and President Trump discussed in early October the possibility of launching a major new operation against Iran before the Israeli and U.S. elections.
- Netanyahu told Trump he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating Iran was taking troubling steps to reconstitute its nuclear program.
- Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine at the time that restarting the war in that timeframe could cause the Israeli elections to be postponed, given that Iran would probably retaliate, the sources said.
- Trump initially seemed to be inclined to resume attacks, but then grew hesitant and eventually decided against Netanyahu's proposal.
State of play: An Israeli official said Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir will not allow any unjustified military activity that could undermine the Oct. 27 elections.
What he's saying: On Wednesday Netanyahu said at a military graduation ceremony that Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei "has decided to follow in his father's footsteps" and allowed Iranian scientists to move forward with building a nuclear weapon.
- "He has taken the safety off, and Iran is once again trying to develop its bombs of death," Netanyahu said.
- "Therefore, there is only one way to eliminate this threat once and for all: to overthrow the regime in Iran. And that is the directive I have given to the IDF, the Mossad and the security agencies," he added.
