The Pentagon is the US Defense Headquarters
Top secret US intelligence documents have been leaked detailing Israel's plans for a possible attack on the country in retaliation for recent attacks on Iran. Three sources who have knowledge about the incident have given this information. A source said the documents are correct.
A US official commented to CNN that this incident of secret document leak is "very worrying".
The documents are dated October 15 and 16. But these started spreading online last Friday. Earlier, the documents were published on the social networking site Telegram from an account called 'Middle East Spectator'.
These documents are marked as 'Top Secret'. The markings indicate that they can only be seen by the US and its 'Five Eyes' allies Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.
These documents are marked as 'Top Secret'. The markings indicate that they can only be seen by the US and its 'Five Eyes' allies—Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The documents describe Israel's preparations for a possible attack against Iran. One of them says that the document was created by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (an agency under the US Department of Defense). According to the documents, Israel is deploying its weapons under the plan.
Another of the documents is said to have been collected by the National Security Agency, another intelligence agency under the US Department of Defense. The document mentions the Israeli Air Force conducting air-to-ground missile exercises.
It is believed that this exercise is part of the country's preparations to attack Iran. However, CNN did not directly cite information from these documents or have seen them.
If true, the leak of Israeli strategic plans to respond to Iran's October 1 attack is a serious (security) breach. In addition, the future coordination between the United States and Israel may be challenged in this incident.
Mike Mulroy, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Affairs
Regarding the leak of top secret intelligence documents, a US official commented, the US Defense Headquarters is investigating who or who gained access to these documents said to be from the Pentagon.
Apart from that, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies usually start investigations in the event of such documents being leaked.
The FBI declined to comment when asked by CNN.
The leak comes at a time when US-Israel relations are at a critical juncture and is sure to infuriate Israelis.
Enraged by the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, the killing of Ismail Haniya, the head of the Palestinian independence organization Hamas, in an attack on Tehran, Iran fired about two hundred missiles at Israel on October 1. It is said that Israel is preparing to attack the country in retaliation.
Meanwhile, another of the leaked documents suggests that Israel has always refused to publicly confirm that it has nuclear weapons. The document also says the US has received no indication of Israeli plans to use nuclear weapons against Iran.
One of the documents described the Israeli Air Force conducting air-to-surface missile drills. It is believed that this exercise is part of the country's preparations to attack Iran.
Mike Mulroy, the former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East and a retired CIA officer, said, "If it is true that the Israeli strategic plan was leaked in response to Iran's October 1 attack, it is a serious (security) breach. In addition, the future coordination between the United States and Israel may be challenged in this incident."
Mike Mulroy also said, 'Trust is an important factor in a relationship. Depending on how the confidential documents are leaked, this trust may erode.
Another US official said, "The leaking of these two documents is a bad precedent, but it is not terrible." The concern is whether more such documents are leaked or not.
It is not yet clear how the documents came to light, whether they were hacked or deliberately leaked. The US is already on high alert regarding Iran's hacking activities.
US intelligence agencies said Iran hacked the campaign documents of Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the November US election, in August.
The US media outlet Axios published the first report on the latest US leaked documents.