Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets flew as far as the Iranian border on Monday in an operation described by Israeli officials as a deterrence exercise.

Axar.az reports, citing Axios, that the operation involved fighter jets and refuelling aircraft and took place more than 800 miles from Israel. The aircraft followed a flight path consistent with a potential strike on Iran, crossing Syrian and Iraqi airspace before turning back near the Iranian border.

Israeli officials notified Washington in advance, describing the sortie as a training exercise intended to project power and deter Iran from attacking Israel ahead of the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27.

The operation comes amid renewed tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had allowed Iranian scientists to advance efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.

“Therefore, there is only one way to eliminate this threat once and for all: to overthrow the regime in Iran. And that is the directive I have given to the IDF, the Mossad and the security agencies,” Netanyahu said.