According to three persons familiar with the situation, the United States is looking into a leak of highly sensitive US intelligence about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran. One of the people familiar with the documents confirmed their legitimacy.
The leak is “deeply concerning,” a US official told HEADLINESFOREVER.
The documents, dated October 15 and 16, started circulating online on Friday after being shared on Telegram by an account called “Middle East Spectator.”
They are marked top secret and intended to be seen only by the United States and its “Five Eyes” allies – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
They depict Israel’s apparent preparations for a strike against Iran. One of the documents, which claims to have been created by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, describes Israel’s intentions for transferring weapons.
Another document, attributed to the National Security Agency, describes Israeli air force exercises utilizing air-to-surface missiles, which are believed to be in preparation for an attack on Iran. HEADLINESFOREVER does not directly quote from or show the materials.
A US official said the probe is looking into who got access to the claimed Pentagon document. Any such leak would automatically result in an inquiry by the FBI, the Pentagon, and US intelligence services. The FBI has declined to comment.
The disclosure comes at a critical juncture in US-Israeli relations and is sure to enrage the Israelis, who have been prepared to strike Iran in retaliation to Iran’s missile bombardment of October 1. One of the documents also implies something Israel has always refused to disclose publicly: the country’s nuclear arsenal. According to the memo, the US has found no indication that Israel intends to deploy nuclear weapons against Iran.
“If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s October 1 attack have been leaked, it is a serious breach,” said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and retired CIA official.
Mulroy went on to say that “future coordination between the US and Israel may also be called into question.” Trust is an important component of the connection, and depending on how it was leaked, that trust may be lost.”
The National Security Council sent HEADLINESFOREVER to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon for comments. The Pentagon and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency declined to comment. HEADLINESFOREVER has contacted the National Security Agency for comment.
Another US official stated, “These two documents are bad, but not horrible. The concern is if there will be more.
It’s unclear how the documents became public, or whether they were hacked or intentionally disclosed. The US is already on high alert for Iranian cyber activities, with US intelligence services reporting in August that Iran had accessed papers connected to Donald Trump’s campaign.
Axios first reported on the released documents on Saturday.
A massive leak of US intelligence last year affected the country’s relations with allies and partners, notably South Korea and Ukraine, after a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman uploaded highly sensitive information on the social media platform Discord.