US leaks reveal Israel’s retaliation plans for Iranian attack

Three sources familiar with the matter confirmed the information about the leak. One of the sources confirmed the authenticity of the documents.

“The leak is deeply concerning,” the US official told CNN.

The documents, dated October 15 and 16, were circulated online on Friday, October 18, after being published by a Telegram account called Middle East Spectator.

They carry a top secret classification and markings indicating they are intended for the eyes of the United States and its allies in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The documents describe Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran. A document apparently from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency points to plans for Israel to transport munitions.

Another document attributed to the National Security Agency details Israeli air force training exercises with air-to-surface missiles, believed to be part of preparations for an attack on Iran.

The US official noted that the investigation aims to find out who had access to the alleged Defense Department document. Any such leak automatically triggers an investigation by the FBI, along with the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies.

Trust in danger

CNN stressed that the leak comes at an extraordinarily sensitive time in U.S.-Israeli relations and is likely to anger Israeli officials who are preparing to retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile attack.

One of the documents also suggests that Tel Aviv has consistently refused to publicly acknowledge that the country has nuclear weapons. The document said the US had seen no signs that Israel planned to use nuclear weapons against Iran.

“If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to the Iranian attack on October 1 were leaked, that is a serious violation,” said Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and a retired CIA officer.

He added that “trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this transpires, that trust could be undermined.”

Another US official noted: “These two documents are bad, but not terrible. There is concern about whether there are more.”

CNN notes that it remains unclear how the documents were released, whether they were hacked or whether there was an intentional disclosure.

The US is already on heightened alert regarding Iranian hacking campaigns – US intelligence agencies revealed in August that Iran had hacked documents belonging to Donald Trump’s campaign.

This is not the first leak of classified information from US intelligence agencies. In April 2023, a 21-year-old US Air Force National Guard member posted classified information on the social media platform Discord.

This leak strained U.S. relations with allies and partners, particularly South Korea and Ukraine. The documents contained information about the preparations of the Ukrainian armed forces for a counteroffensive.

US President Joe Biden, in turn, stated that the investigation into this incident was nearing completion.