Israeli Jets Near Iran Border in Move Seen as Bait: Report
(MENAFN) Dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew close to Iran’s border earlier this week in a maneuver that may have been meant to provoke an Iranian military response, Israeli media reported Wednesday, citing US sources.
An Israeli broadcaster reported that the overnight operation, which ran from Monday into Tuesday, involved dozens of fighter jets escorted by Israeli Air Force refueling aircraft. According to the broadcaster, the aircraft crossed Syrian and Iraqi airspace and approached the Iranian border at very close range before turning back toward Israel.
US sources told the broadcaster that Israel may have hoped Iranian forces would fire on the aircraft, potentially handing it a justification to attack Iran. The sources said Israel had warned Washington of the operation in advance, framing it as a military exercise designed to showcase its capabilities and deter Tehran. They added that Israel knew Iranian air defenses would detect the jets.
US and Israeli officials characterized the mission as a deterrence exercise, but the broadcaster said it carried the risk of an Iranian miscalculation that could spark a military response and reignite the war.
The operation coincided with a visit to Israel by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz at Ovda Air Base.
Separately on Wednesday, a British financial daily reported that Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli military earlier this month to prepare a major new offensive against Iran. Citing three people familiar with the plans, the newspaper said the military had readied a multiday campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities, government-linked sites and civilian infrastructure, including power plants.
The strikes, originally slated for Oct. 10, were called off after US President Donald Trump opposed resuming the war ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections, according to the report.
The United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz. Washington later imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
An Israeli broadcaster reported that the overnight operation, which ran from Monday into Tuesday, involved dozens of fighter jets escorted by Israeli Air Force refueling aircraft. According to the broadcaster, the aircraft crossed Syrian and Iraqi airspace and approached the Iranian border at very close range before turning back toward Israel.
US sources told the broadcaster that Israel may have hoped Iranian forces would fire on the aircraft, potentially handing it a justification to attack Iran. The sources said Israel had warned Washington of the operation in advance, framing it as a military exercise designed to showcase its capabilities and deter Tehran. They added that Israel knew Iranian air defenses would detect the jets.
US and Israeli officials characterized the mission as a deterrence exercise, but the broadcaster said it carried the risk of an Iranian miscalculation that could spark a military response and reignite the war.
The operation coincided with a visit to Israel by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz at Ovda Air Base.
Separately on Wednesday, a British financial daily reported that Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli military earlier this month to prepare a major new offensive against Iran. Citing three people familiar with the plans, the newspaper said the military had readied a multiday campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities, government-linked sites and civilian infrastructure, including power plants.
The strikes, originally slated for Oct. 10, were called off after US President Donald Trump opposed resuming the war ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections, according to the report.
The United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz. Washington later imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
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