A New York Times report indicated that American and Israeli plans were being prepared to launch new strong strikes on Iran after the midterm elections

The US and Israeli militaries have prepared specific plans to launch new strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections scheduled for next November 3, according to what the New York Times reported, citing US officials and other people briefed on the deliberations related to these plans.

As planning for a short but intense military operation progressed, the US and Israeli militaries intensified their training, flying sorties over Iraq to practice attack maneuvers. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss launching new strikes, according to what the newspaper quoted American officials as saying.

According to the newspaper, the targets are likely to include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and an arsenal of missiles and drones.

Air training near the Iranian border

Officials believe that another large-scale round of attacks could push the Iranian economy to the brink of collapse and force the country to make diplomatic concessions after nearly eight months of conflict.

At the same time, the American website Axios quoted Israeli and American officials as saying that dozens of Israeli Air Force fighters carried out an air sortie on Monday, arriving close to the Iranian border. The operation took place more than 800 miles from Israel, a week before the Israeli elections, and on the same day that Hegseth met with Netanyahu at the Israeli Ovda Air Base. The sortie was not related to Hegseth's visit.

While some Israeli and American officials said that the sortie was unusual and that it was aimed at deterring Iran, it could have led to a miscalculation, which might provoke an Iranian response and lead to a renewal of the war.