Dozens of Israel Air Force fighter jets flew “as far as the Iranian border” before turning around and returning to Israel in a practice sortie on Monday, according to an Axios report on Wednesday citing US and Israeli officials.
The fighter jets and accompanying refueling aircraft allegedly passed through Syrian and Iraqi airspace, following a flight path consistent with that taken during strikes on Iran.
While some sources told Axios that the sortie was not unusual and was intended to deter Iran, US officials said that Israel knew Iran’s air defense systems would detect the jets.
Israel reportedly notified the US of the operation in advance, describing the training exercise as a “power projection” aimed at deterring Iran from attacking Israel ahead of the October 27 Knesset elections.
On Tuesday, Fox News’ Trey Yingst also reported that Israeli fighter jets had conducted drills during which they flew over Syria and Iraq.
This is a developing story.