A Telegram group published so-called “top secret” US documents about Israel’s attack plans

• A Telegram group published what it said was leaked US information about Israel’s attack plans against Iran.

• Middle East Spectator shared the documents but was unable to verify their authenticity.

• US officials have not yet commented publicly on the possible leak.

A Telegram channel published what it said were “top secret” US intelligence documents analyzing Israel’s plans to attack Iran.

The Middle East Spectator channel, which describes itself as an “open-source news aggregator” independent of any government, said in a statement that it “talked about an anonymous source on Telegram who refused to identify himself , received two “top secret U.S. intelligence documents about the Zionist regime’s preparations for an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The Middle East Spectator said in its published statement that it could not verify the authenticity of the documents.

No U.S. or Israeli officials have commented publicly on the possible leak. Axios reported that intelligence officials declined to comment but did not dispute the accuracy of the documents.

Defense Department spokespeople did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

The region is preparing for an expected Israeli attack on Iran. Israeli officials have said it is planning retaliation for Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack. The US announced this month that it would send troops to Israel along with a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in response to the Iranian attack.

The Iranian missile attack on Israel was in retaliation for the assassination of Israel Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah End of September. Hezbollah is Iran’s main proxy in the region.

Sean McFate, a national security and foreign policy expert at Syracuse University, told Business Insider in a text that Israel’s plan to attack Iran was “no surprise” and that he sensed that within the government of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu There is a debate going on about which goals to vote for.

He said the document leak was notable because there were “not many Iran sympathizers within the U.S. government.”

“It’s also a tense time between Biden and Bibi at the moment,” said McFate, “and all in the shadow of the election.”

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