US investigates unauthorized release of classified documents on Israeli attack plans: NPR

President Biden (right) speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, July 25, 2024.

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Susan Walsh/AP

WASHINGTON — The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents assessing Israel's plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appeared legitimate.

The documents are attributed to the US 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 to Iran's devastating ballistic missile attack on October 1 . They were able to do so within the “Five Eyes”, which are the USA, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The classified documents were published on the messaging app Telegram and first reported by CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained – including whether there was an intentional leak 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. said one of the officers. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were released, the official said.

The US has called on Israel to take advantage of the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and push for a ceasefire in Gaza. They have 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.

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 Friday through a channel on Telegram, claiming they were leaked by someone in the U.S. intelligence community and later 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 U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency materials leaked by Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman who pleaded guilty in March, to top-secret military documents about Russia's war against Ukraine and other national security secrets to have disclosed.

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.