The US is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans

The United States is investigating a reported unauthorized release of classified documents assessing Israel’s plans to attack Iran, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency and indicate that Israel was still moving military assets into place to carry out a military strike in response Iran’s devastating ballistic missile attack on October 1st. They could be shared within the “Five Eyes,” consisting of the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, The Associated Press reported.

The documents were posted on a Telegram channel called Middle East Spectator shortly before 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The documents, classified top secret, were first reported by CNN and Axios on Saturday.

JohnsonSpeaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, confirmed that an investigation was underway.

“There is a confidential briefing… we are following it closely,” he said, without giving further details about the briefing.

The White House said it would not comment on the alleged leak, although Johnson confirmed an investigation, and directed CBS News’ questions to the Justice Department. A DOJ spokesman declined to comment Sunday.

Spokespeople for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the FBI declined to comment. A U.S. official told the AP that the documents appeared to be legitimate.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained – including whether they were intentionally shared 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 a US official told AP. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were released, the official said.

The original Telegram post said Middle East Spectator obtained the documents exclusively from “an informed source within the US intelligence community.” The broadcaster later attempted to distance itself from the documents, saying it had no connection to the original source and claiming the “documents first appeared in a private Telegram group with just over 7,000 members, where the leaker is likely present.” was”.

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

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the leak of the two documents.

The documents first appeared online on Friday through a channel called “Middle East Spectator” on Telegram, claiming they were leaked by someone in the U.S. intelligence community and later by the U.S. Department of Defense. The information appeared to be collected entirely using satellite image analysis.

One of the two documents was similar in style to other National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency materials leaked by Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman pleaded guilty in March to share top-secret military documents about Russia’s war against Ukraine and other national security secrets.

The Telegram channel involved in the revelation claims to be based in Tehran, the Iranian capital. It previously posted memes featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as material supporting Tehran’s self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance,” which includes militant groups armed by the Islamic Republic in the Middle East.

The US has urged Israel to take advantage of its elimination Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, and has also strongly warned Israel against further expanding military operations in northern Lebanon and risking a wider regional war. However, the Israeli leadership has repeatedly emphasized that it will not let Iran’s missile attack go unanswered.

Olivia GazisCharlie D’Agata and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.