US investigating intelligence leak about Israel’s plans for attacking Iran

The two leaked reports were prepared last week by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyses imagery gathered by American reconnaissance satellites and other intelligence.

An Israeli fighter jet returning to base near Tel Aviv. Picture: AFP.

The US is investigating the leak of top-secret American documents that show Israel military preparations for an expected strike on Iran, US officials said Sunday.

The two leaked reports were prepared last week by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyses imagery gathered by American reconnaissance satellites and other intelligence.

Neither document indicates Israel’s potential targets, and one cautioned that the agency’s analysts “cannot definitely predict the scale and scope of a strike on Iran.” The reports describe the types of aircraft and munitions the Israeli military is expected to use in an attack, which the documents say could come without additional warning.

Adding to US concerns, the classified assessments were disseminated by a pro-Iran site, Middle East Spectator, which says it received them from an anonymous source.

Among the concerns for US investigators is “the potential for further leaks of highly classified documents,” said Jamil Jaffer, a former senior official in the Justice Department’s national security division.

The National Security Council referred questions to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which declined to comment. House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview with CNN that he has been informed that a US government investigation is under way.

The leak comes as Israeli officials say they are planning a retaliatory attack on Iran and the Biden administration is renewing its push to bring an end to the fighting in Gaza.

— ❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷/🇮🇱 EXCLUSIVE: One of our sources in the U.S. intelligence community has shared with us an extremely sensitive top secret U.S. intelligence document, dated October 15-16, detailing Israeli preparations for an extensive strike inside Iran: pic.twitter.com/pH53YiJ390

— Middle East Spectator (@Spectator_MENA) October 17, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether the disclosures might affect Israel’s plans for its strike, which is intended as a response to an Iranian attack against Israel earlier this month with about 120 ballistic missiles.

The US has urged Israel to avoid targeting Iran’s oil and nuclear infrastructure and has moved to buttress Israel’s defence by sending its ally an advanced antimissile system.

The leak raised concerns among some Israeli officials about the US ability to protect closely held information that affects its ally.

The documents began circulating online last week after Middle East Spectator posted them within a Telegram channel and on X. It described them as a disclosure about the steps “the Zionist regime” is taking to prepare for an attack on Iran.

Middle East Spectator describes itself as an “open-source news aggregator” that is staffed by independent journalists. A number of Middle East officials and experts say that it is known for promoting pro-Iranian information.

Several former US intelligence officials said the documents bore hallmarks of authentic classified files, including their verbiage and formatting. But some said they might have been edited or pasted together from different pages.

Second official press statement by Middle East Spectator regarding two leaked classified U.S. documents: pic.twitter.com/rRvNOCZ4P0

— Middle East Spectator (@Spectator_MENA) October 19, 2024

The Israeli Air Force preparations for a strike on Iran involved air-launched ballistic missiles and covert drones, which are use to carry out surveillance over Iran and throughout the region, according to one of the documents. The Israeli military, one noted, sought to conceal some of this activity by placing screens over shelters for F-15 aircraft, among other steps.

The Israelis conducted a large-scale air exercise on Oct. 15, which one of the documents said was likely intended to practice midair refuelling and search and rescue, in the event pilots are shot down. Other steps taken by Israel include dispersing naval vessels and some of its military aircraft.

Middle East Spectator said it first became aware of the files when they were shared in a Telegram channel with 7,000 members, where it believes the source was likely a participant. It added: “We have no connection to the original source, which we assume to be a whistleblower within the US Department of Defence.” In a statement late Saturday evening on X, Middle East Spectator said it was “not aware of any additional leaked classified US documents.”

Dow Jones