Israel denies it delayed Iran strike over leaked plans

The London Times reported Israel was concerned the leak of top secret documents would help Iran predict its attack patterns and has been forced to develop an alternative plan.

A Thaad interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test. Picture: Reuters.

Israel has denied reports that it delayed its retaliatory strike against Iran because of a leak of potentially sensitive military information from the United States last week.

The leak of a top secret document, published on a pro-Iranian Telegram channel last Friday, revealed Israel’s plans to respond to Iran’s missile barrage earlier this month.

The document revealed Israel’s military sites and assets, making reference to two Israeli air-launched ballistic missiles.

The London Times reported that Israel was concerned the leak would help Iran predict certain attack patterns and was forced to develop an alternative plan that would require war gaming before an attack was launched.

“The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components,” an intelligence source told the newspaper. “There will be a retaliation, but it has taken longer than it was supposed to take.”

However Israel’s Army Radio reports that the military denied the leak caused any delay to its attack plans.

“There’s no connection between the leaking of the documents from the Pentagon and the choice of timing for the attack on Iran,” a security source told Army Radio.

The official said no final date had been set for Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran.

“We will choose the appropriate date according to operational opportunities,” the official said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami warned that the advanced THAAD missile defence system recently stationed in Israel would not defend the country against any attack from Tehran.

“Just as the Arrow anti-missile systems did not work during Operation True Promise 2, the THAAD systems will not work either. Do not rely on THAAD, they have limited capabilities,” Mr Salami told Russia’s TASS news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Bnejamin Netanyahu has assured Washington that any strike will target military assets, rather than oil or nuclear sites as has been feared.

It is thought that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij paramilitary force of volunteers, are likely targets.

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, visited an airbase on Wednesday, telling pilots and air crew: “After we strike in Iran, everyone will understand what you did in the preparation and training process.”

The Pentagon has denied reports that an employee of Iranian heritage, Ariane Tabatabai, chief of staff of the assistant secretary of defence for special operations, is the main suspect of the investigation into the leak of classified documents.