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Leaked US intelligence documents detail Israeli preparations for an attack on Iran

Leaked US intelligence documents detail Israeli preparations for an attack on Iran

By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com

By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com

Leaked top-secret documents from the Pentagon and the National Security Agency (NSA) detail Israeli preparations for a major attack on Iran, CNN reported Saturday. The documents were posted Friday on a supposedly Iran-linked Telegram channel called the Middle East Spectator, which claims to have received the information from a source within a U.S. intelligence agency.

Aside from the United States, these Oct. 15 and 16 documents were intended only for officials in Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, Washington’s “Five Eyes” allies. CNN cited “three people familiar with the matter,” including one who confirmed the authenticity of the documents. The documents can be viewed here and here.

The documents, including a visual intelligence report from the Pentagon’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, detail ongoing activities leading up to the attack on Israeli Air Force (IAF) bases in Iran.

The US has observed: “IAF exercises with air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs), air-to-surface ballistic missiles, fighter jets, UAVs and refueling tankers previously used in Israeli strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen… The IAF handled them. ““At least 16 Golden Horizon ALBMs and 40 IS02 (Rocks) ALBMs since October 8th,” reported Times of Israel.

According to CNN, one of the documents reveals that Israel has a nuclear arsenal that has been an open secret for decades. This is highly controversial because changes to U.S. foreign aid laws made by U.S. Senators Stuart Symington and John Glenn in 1976 make Washington’s huge military aid to Israel illegal, since Tel Aviv is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. But several US presidents since Richard Nixon, including most recently Joe Biden, have agreed with their Israeli counterparts never to recognize Israel’s approximately 90 to 300 nuclear weapons.

US officials tell the media that the leak is “extremely serious.” At the same time, officials emphasize that this is unlikely to have any impact on Israel’s plans. Without further comment, neither the Pentagon nor the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have disputed the authenticity of the documents. The US apologized to Tel Aviv for the leak, an Israeli source said Haaretz.

Washington is expected to participate in the attack on Iran by providing intelligence support to Israel or, less likely, through direct military action. Earlier this week, in a message to the Islamic Republic, the US bombed Houthi targets in Yemen with B-2 long-range stealth bombers that have not been used since 2017.

Israel’s attack is portrayed as retaliation against Tehran for Iran’s October 1 shelling of around 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli military sites. That rocket attack came in response to a litany of Israeli provocations amid its genocidal war against the Palestinians, including the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting the Iranian capital this summer.

Earlier Saturday, reports emerged of a drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home. According to Israel’s Channel 12, an official said this would mean “greater legitimacy for a broader range of targets” in light of the impending attack on Iran. Netanyahu has blamed Hezbollah for the drone attack, although the group has denied responsibility.

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Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.