The US is investigating the leak of two highly classified intelligence documents detailing Israeli preparations for retaliatory strikes against Iran, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson announced today, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
The documents are believed to have been prepared by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and describe US interpretations of planned actions by the Israeli Air Force and Navy based on satellite images taken on October 15 and 16. The documents began circulating on the messaging app “Telegram” last week.
Israel is planning a response to Iran's October 1 ballistic missile attack, which was the second direct attack on the country in six months.
When asked about the leak of the documents in an interview with American television CNN, Johnson said that “an investigation is underway, and I will provide information within two hours”. “We are following (the case) closely”, he added.
The newspaper “New York Times“ reported that officials acknowledged the documents were authentic, but that they likely represented only part of the information the US had about its close ally's plans.
The first document describes Israel's air force preparations for a strike against Iran and a second exercise involving the use of large armed forces. The second describes preparations for possible drone strikes against Iran.
US President Joe Biden, answering questions from reporters last week, said he has a good idea when and how Israel will attack Iran. But he also said he saw an opportunity to end the two enemy countries' retaliatory strikes.