Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets, accompanied by refueling aircraft, conducted a sortie on Monday that flew more than 800 miles from Israel to the Iranian border before turning around and returning, according to Israeli and US officials cited by Axios. The flight path, through Syrian airspace, was consistent with a potential strike on Iran, and Israel notified the United States in advance, describing the operation as a training exercise, Axios reported.
Some officials cited by Axios said the sortie was not unusual and was meant to deter Iran, while the report noted it could have prompted a miscalculation and an Iranian response. The sortie took place on the same day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base, though Axios said it was not connected to the visit, and on Wednesday Netanyahu said at a military graduation ceremony that Iran was again trying to develop nuclear weapons and called for the overthrow of its regime.