The U.S. government is currently investigating the leak of classified documents that provide insights into an assessment of Israel’s intentions to attack Iran, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. These documents, which surfaced online last week, reportedly detail satellite images showing the movement of Israeli military assets in light of a missile attack from Iran on October 1.
Marked as top secret, the documents were intended for distribution within the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the U.S., the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, as reported by CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner.
In recent weeks, Israel has been deliberating on how to react to the latest Iranian missile strike, with Israel’s defense minister promising a response that would be “deadly, precise and surprising.” The leaked documents appear to have originated from the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency (NSA) and were disseminated on an Iranian-aligned Telegram channel.
Speaker Johnson expressed concern over the leak, stating on CNN, “There are serious allegations being made. An investigation is underway, and I’ll receive a briefing on it shortly.” The Pentagon acknowledged awareness of the situation but refrained from providing further comment.
Reports by CNN and Axios highlight the implications of the leak, reaffirming that U.S. intelligence closely monitors its ally, Israel. Notably, one of the documents references Israel’s nuclear capabilities—an aspect typically unacknowledged by both the U.S. and Israel—suggesting that such a nuclear option is not being considered in the impending military action.
A former U.S. intelligence official speculated that the unauthorized release might aim to reveal the scope of Israel’s planned retaliation, possibly threatening to disrupt it. U.S. officials are investigating whether the leak was deliberately orchestrated by a U.S. agent or resulted from hacking.
The leaked documents, which seemingly draw on satellite data collected from October 15-16, include two key titles: “Israel: Air Force Continues Preparations for Strike on Iran and Conducts a Second Large-Force Employment Exercise,” focusing on missile handling, and “Israel: Defense Forces Continue Key Munitions Preparations and Covert UAV Activity Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran,” which outlines drone activity in preparation for an attack.
During a press briefing on Friday, President Joe Biden stated he was well-informed about Israel’s strategic decisions regarding Iran. When pressed for specific details, he affirmed, “Yes,” but declined to share further information.
Credit: BBC News
