Israel displays force near Iran's border

Dozens of fighter jets and refueling aircraft of the Israeli Air Force carried out a large show-of-force operation near the Iranian border through Syrian and Iraqi airspace before returning to their bases, according to Israeli and American officials. The sortie came a week before the Israeli elections and coincided with the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his reception by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base. Axios quoted sources as saying that Israel had informed Washington in advance that the maneuver was a training exercise to deter Iran, while American parties expressed concern that it was an attempt to lure an Iranian response. Reports spoke of previous talks between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump about a major operation against Iran, and Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned that a possible Iranian response could delay the elections. In a speech at a military graduation ceremony, Netanyahu attacked Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, accusing him of following his father's path toward nuclear weapons, and affirmed that he had ordered the army, Mossad and security agencies to work to overthrow the Iranian regime.