US probing leaked documents ‘show’s Israel’s plans to strike Iran’

The United States government is investigating the leak of a pair of highly classified documents describing Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran. Israel has been plotting a response after Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles on October 1, its second direct attack in six months. The unprecedented wave of missiles came in retaliation to the deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

A pair of purportedly ‘top secret’ documents state the IDF has been moving missiles and organising training exercises for aircraft, including air-to-air combat and search and rescue operations. US House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed an investigation into the release of the classified documents is underway, saying the leak was very concerning. ‘There’s some serious allegations being made there,’ he said. ‘The investigation’s underway, and I’ll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours.’

The leaked documents also indicate that Britain is playing a key role in Israel’s plans to strike Iran. The document mentions Five Eyes, the intelligence-sharing alliance comprising the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, suggesting the UK is providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to Israel. The report also bears the initials TK, which stands for Talent Keyhole and relates to satellite-generated intelligence. The US launched an investigation after the classified file was shared on messaging platform Telegram. The document signals – for the first time – the intimate role the UK plays in assisting Israel with its battle plans. It hints at a change of approach after Foreign Secretary David Lammy contacted his Iranian counterpart and urged Tehran to use its influence over Hezbollah to prevent further conflict.

Last night, a senior UK intelligence source said: ‘The UK has a leading role in providing intelligence support for the whole of the Five Eyes community into the Middle East. This intelligence leak shows that the US is using satellites to monitor Israeli military activity and preparations for any counter strike against Iran …Questions must be asked as to what else is compromised.’ The documents appear to have been prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, describing U.S. interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning based on satellite imagery from October 15-16. They began circulating last week on the Telegram messaging app.

It comes as Israel has intensified its offensive in Gaza and Lebanon, days after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Last night, blasts were heard and smoke was seen billowing over Beirut’s southern suburbs, shortly after Israel said it was planning to target sites belonging to Hezbollah’s financial arm. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Pentagon said it was looking into the leak reports. The New York Times reported that officials acknowledged privately that the documents were authentic, but that they likely only represent a portion of information the US has on its close ally’s planning. The first document is titled: ‘Israel: Air Force Continues Preparations for Strike on Iran and Conducts a Second Large-Force Employment Exercise’. It describes activities including ballistic and air-to-surface missile handling. The second is titled: ‘Israel: Defense Forces Continue Key Munitions Preparations and Covert UAV Activity Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran’. UAVs are also known as drones.

President Joe Biden, responding to questions from reporters, said last week he had a good understanding of when and how Israel would attack Iran. But he also said he sees an opportunity to end the two enemies’ back-and-forth strikes. Meanwhile, Israel’s targeting of terror leaders continued with it announcing the deaths of three Hezbollah commanders in Beirut. The IDF said it killed Alhaj Abbas Salameh, of the group’s southern command, Radja Abbas Awache, a communications expert, and Ahmad Ali Hussein, a weapons developer. Israel also targeted a Hezbollah underground firearms workshop. In northern Gaza at least 87 people died and more than 40 were injured in airstrikes on the city of Beit Lahia – a figure that was disputed by Israel. Israeli officials called it a ‘precision strike’ on a Hamas target and urged residents to evacuate. But the former head of MI6 said the IDF’s killing of Sinwar – the architect of the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis – could boost Islamic terror groups in the UK.

Sir John Sawers told Sky News: ‘It could be that Hezbollah and Hamas, the new leaderships there, are focused so much on violence that they become not just terrorist organisations designated by Western countries and aimed against Israel, but they could revert back to international terrorism, including here in the UK.’ News of the leak first came just hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was targeted in an alleged drone assassination attempt. Israel’s fury was compounded on Saturday as Tehran undertook an alleged assassination attempt in the form of a drone carrying explosives toward the family home of Netanyahu . The report leak occurred on Friday when the Middle East Spectator Telegram channel claimed it had received documents about Israel’s strike preparations from a source within the US intelligence community.

Documents included an alleged report from the US Department of Defense’s visual intelligence agency, circulated within the US intelligence community three days earlier. The report detailed alleged recent actions at Israel Air Force (IAF) bases, including the movement of advanced munitions believed to be intended for a strike on Iran. It also noted that intelligence obtained indicated the IAF conducted an exercise this week involving fighter jets and drones as part of its strike preparations. ‘If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on October 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,’ said Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and a retired CIA officer. Mulroy added that ‘the future coordination between the US and Israel could be challenged as well. Trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this was leaked that trust could be eroded.’

One of the documents also suggests Israel has nuclear weapons – something the state has never publicly confirmed. It adds the US has not seen any indications that Israel plans to use a nuclear weapon against Iran. The leak is ‘deeply concerning,’ a US official told CNN. Neither the Israeli Prime Minister nor his wife Sara were at the property in the coastal town of Caesarea, between Tel Aviv and Haifa, when the device was launched from Lebanon as part of yesterday’s early hours assassination attempt. It is understood to have struck a building near Mr Netanyahu’s large, white-brick residence. The alleged attempt marked a period of heightened tensions in the region, with Israeli officials condemning Iran and Hezbollah, which Iran backs, for the attempt on Mr Netanyahu’s life.

It came two days after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacre last year which left 1,200 dead and triggered the escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas . Last night, Israel bombarded Beirut’s financial areas. Hezbollah’s al Qard al Hassan financial unit has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, including 15 in densely populated parts of Beirut and its suburbs. It is used to fund the Iranian-backed group’s operatives and help buy arms. An Israeli military spokesperson said earlier: ‘Residents of Lebanon, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will begin attacking infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah al Qard al Hassan Association – get away from it immediately.’

At least 42,603 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. On Saturday night, Netanyahu said: ‘The agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake. This will not deter me and the State of Israel from continuing the war against our enemies to take our security for generations. I say to the Iranians and their partners in the axis of evil: Anyone who harms the State of Israel will pay a heavy price for it.’

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