(DC Pundit) – The U.S. government is looking into an unauthorized release of classified documents that detail Israel’s plans to strike Iran, according to three U.S. officials who spoke to the Associated Press. A fourth official confirmed that the documents appear to be genuine.
These top-secret papers, which come from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, reveal that Israel was still positioning its military assets for a potential attack in response to Iran’s massive missile strike on October 1. The documents were meant to be shared only within the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, which includes the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
The classified information first appeared on Telegram, a messaging app, and was initially reported by CNN and Axios on Saturday. The officials who disclosed this information asked to remain anonymous as they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The ongoing investigation is also trying to figure out how these documents were obtained. They’re considering various possibilities, including whether it was an intentional leak by someone in the U.S. intelligence community or if the information was accessed through other means, like a hack. They’re also checking if any other sensitive information was compromised.
As part of this process, officials are working to identify who had access to these documents before they were posted online. One official stated, “We’re leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to trace the origin of this leak.”
The U.S. has been pushing Israel to capitalize on its recent elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and pursue a cease-fire in Gaza. At the same time, they’ve strongly cautioned Israel against expanding military operations in northern Lebanon, which could potentially spark a wider regional conflict. However, Israeli leadership has consistently maintained that Iran’s missile attack won’t go unanswered.
When asked for comment, the Pentagon acknowledged the reports about the leaked documents but didn’t provide any additional information. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the leaked documents.
These classified papers first surfaced online last Friday through a Telegram channel. The poster claimed they were leaked by someone within the U.S. intelligence community, and later suggested they came from the U.S. Defense Department. The information appears to have been gathered entirely through satellite image analysis.
One of the two leaked documents bears a striking resemblance to other material from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency that was previously leaked by Jack Teixeira. Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman, pleaded guilty in March to leaking highly classified military documents about Russia’s war on Ukraine and other sensitive national security information.
The Telegram channel responsible for sharing these documents identifies itself as being based in Tehran, Iran’s capital. In the past, this channel has shared memes featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and content supporting Tehran’s self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance,” which includes various Middle Eastern militant groups backed by Iran.
UPDATE: Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Pentagon employee, has been named as the suspected leaker of these classified documents.
Last year, I called for suspending Ariane Tabatabai’s security clearance for her role in an Iranian info op. Amazingly, she’s still in her job.
The latest apparent leak to an Iranian Telegram channel reflects the Biden-Harris administration's tolerance of insider threats. pic.twitter.com/Ma6Z6ZAy6W
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) October 21, 2024
Wait, so Ariane Tabatabai is the suspect for the leak?
You mean the same person who was already outed as an Iranian agent?
Shocking! 😮 pic.twitter.com/uiisiezPCL
— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) October 22, 2024
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