The New York Times: America and Israel are planning to strike Iran after the midterm elections

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

As planning for a short but intense military operation progressed, the American and Israeli militaries intensified their training, carrying out air 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.

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 1,287 kilometers 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 not unusual and that it was aimed at deterring Iran, it could have led to a miscalculation, which could have provoked an Iranian response and led to a renewal of the war.