Exposed Files Indicate American Intelligence Insights into Israel's Potential Strike against Iran, According to Informants
The leak is considered "troublesome," as stated by a U.S. authority to CNN.
The papers, with dates of October 15 and 16, started circulating on the web on Friday, following their upload on Telegram by an account named "Middle East Spectator."
These papers carry a "top secret" label and display indicators suggesting they were intended for the U.S. and its "Five Eyes" allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
They outline Israel's apparent preparation for an assault on Iran. One of the documents, asserting to be from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, indicates Israel shifting ammunition.
Another document, sourced from the National Security Agency, outlines Israeli air force training sessions involving air-to-surface missiles, also speculated to be for an assault on Iran. CNN prevents direct quoting or displaying the papers.
A U.S. source mentioned that the probe is looking into who had access to the supposed Pentagon paper. Any such leak instantly triggers an FBI investigation, alongside the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies. The FBI declined to comment.
The National Security Council redirected CNN to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon for comment. The Pentagon and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency avoided comment. CNN contacted the National Security Agency for comment.
Another U.S. representative stated that "these two documents aren't amazing, but not terrible. The worry is if there are more."
It remains unclear how the papers came to light, nor if they were hacked or intentionally revealed. The U.S. is already on high alert about Iranian hacking activities — U.S. intelligence agencies mentioned in August that Iran had hacked files belonging to Donald Trump’s campaign.
Initially reported by Axios.
The leak happens at a highly sensitive phase in U.S.-Israeli relations and is sure to irritate the Israelis, who have been planning to attack Iran following Iran’s missile barrage on October 1.
A major leak of U.S. intelligence last year also damaged U.S. relationships with allies and partners, including South Korea and Ukraine, following a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman publishing highly classified information on the social media platform Discord.
CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.
The leak has sparked discussions in the realm of politics, as international relations might be impacted by these revelations.The U.S. government is investigating this incident thoroughly, considering the potential consequences in politics and diplomacy.
