Leaked US intelligence files on Israel
Documents posted to Telegram describe what are believed to be IDF preparations to attack Iran.
CNN news agency reported on October 19 that the US has opened an investigation after top secret intelligence reports on Israel's preparations for potential attacks on Iran were leaked online.
The security breach comes amid unprecedented tensions between Israel and Iran, with the Jewish state vowing to respond to a barrage of missiles fired by Tehran earlier this month.
On October 18, two documents were posted to the anonymous Telegram channel Middle East Spectator, which covers events in the region and is critical of Israel. The first, which appears to have been compiled by the Pentagon’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “continued significant munitions preparations and covert UAV activity on October 16, almost certainly for a strike against Iran.”
The second document contains a detailed report on a “large-scale force deployment exercise” conducted by the Israeli Air Force on October 15-16.
An unnamed US official confirmed the authenticity of the documents to CNN, describing the leak as “deeply concerning.” The official told the channel that an investigation is underway to determine who had access to the classified files that were eventually posted on social media.
The Telegram channel that published the documents issued a statement on October 19 saying it received the files from “an anonymous source on Telegram who declined to be identified.” The channel went on to claim that it had “no connection to the original leaker.”
On October 1, Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the war in Gaza and the assassinations of senior members of the pro-Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
According to the IDF, most of the projectiles were intercepted. The only direct casualty of the attack was a Palestinian man in the West Bank who was killed by a rocket fragment.
Israel has not specified how and when it will retaliate, but some sources say the IDF is planning to attack military targets in Iran, rather than nuclear or oil facilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on October 17 that Israel would make a "final decision based on national interests."
