The US is investigating the leak of secret documents about Israel’s plans to attack Iran

The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents assessing Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

A fourth U.S. official said the documents appeared legitimate.

The documents are attributed to the US Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency and indicate that Israel continues to deploy military assets in response to Iran’s devastating ballistic missile attack on October 1 to carry out a military strike.

They were divisible within the “Five Eyes”, consisting of the USA, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The classified documents were posted online on Telegram and first reported by CNN and Axios.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained – including whether there was an intentional leak by a member of the US intelligence community or obtained through another method, such as a hacker attack – and whether other intelligence information was compromised. said one of the officers.

They said as part of that investigation, officials would work to find out who had access to the documents before they were made public.

The documents were released as the US urged Israel to exploit the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, while also strongly warning Israel against further expanding military operations in northern Lebanon and greater regional spread to risk war.

However, the Israeli leadership has repeatedly emphasized that it will not let Iran’s missile attack go unanswered.

In a statement, the Pentagon said it was aware of the reports about the documents but had no further comment.

The US has strengthened Israel’s air defense system.

It has provided Israel with one of its most advanced air defense systems, the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, to help deter further Iranian ballistic missile attacks.

The Pentagon has also sent about 100 soldiers to deploy it in Israel.

AP/ABC