The U.S. government is investigating after an apparent leak of classified U.S. military documents detailing Israeli plans to strike Iran.
A social media channel called Middle East Spectator published the U.S. military documents online over the weekend. The documents, marked top secret, provides a U.S. assessment of potential retaliatory actions Israel may take after Iran launched a wave of ballistic missiles at it on Oct. 1.
The apparently leaked documents describe heightened Israeli movements of air-launched ballistic missiles, as well as covert drone surveillance operations. The U.S. documents state these Israeli military operations are “almost certainly” part of the preparations for Israel to strike Iran.
White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesman John Kirby addressed the leaks during a call with reporters on Oct. 21, but said U.S. officials were unsure whether the documents came to light via a hack or exposure by an internal source within the Department of Defense.
“We’re not exactly sure how these documents found their way into the public domain. I know the Department of Defense is investigating this, and I’m sure that as they work through that, they’ll they’ll try to determine the manner in which they did become public,” Kirby said.
Kirby communicated President Joe Biden’s alarm over the leak.
“We’re deeply concerned, and the President remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain,” he said. “That is not supposed to happen, and it’s unacceptable when it does.”
Asked whether more leaks might occur, Kirby said the administration isn’t aware of any particular continuing leak risks. He said the administration will “keep our antenna up and our eyes open” for potential additional leaks, but “there’s no indication that we have a reason to suspect additional documents of this sort finding its way into the public domain.”
The Oct. 1 attack saw Iran launch around 180 ballistic missiles at targets across Israel. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strikes were in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh while he visited Iran in July, and the assassination of Hezbollah political leader Hassan Nasrallah in September.
Israel did not officially claim responsibility for the bomb blast that killed Haniyeh, but Iran and Hamas both declared Israel responsible.
Israeli forces did claim responsibility for the air strike that killed Nasrallah.
The IRGC said the missile launches were also in retaliation for a strike that killed IRGC Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan, the Iranian formation’s military advisor in Lebanon. Nilforoushan was reportedly killed in the same strike that killed Nasrallah.
The IRGC threatened that if Israel responds to the latest Iranian barrage, Iran would launch further “heavy attacks.”
This article was originally published by FreeBase News and is reprinted with permission.
