FPI / October 23, 2024
Geostrategy-Direct
U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating how top-secret Pentagon documents purporting to show Israel's preparations for a large-scale counterstrike on Iran were leaked to a pro-Iran media outlet which published them on Telegram.
The documents — compiled by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency over the past several weeks — detail how Israel is preparing for the attack on Iran, including the types of aircraft and munitions that are expected to be used.
A U.S. defense official, speaking only on background, confirmed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is "looking into these reports" as it seeks to determine how the cache of highly secretive documents, dated Oct. 15 and 16, made their way to the Middle East Spectator, an obscure outlet that is known to disseminate propaganda from Teheran.
The Middle East Spectator said in a statement that the documents were originally posted inside a Telegram channel, where the leaker is likely an active participant. The outlet said it is "not aware" of any additional classified leaks. It also identified the leaker as potentially an employee with the U.S. State Department, which would have access to top-secret assessments.
Last week, private communications between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spilled into public view, showing a behind-the-scenes effort to pressure Israel into pumping more aid into the embattled Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The letter included a threat to cut off critical U.S. arms sales to Israel if it does not improve humanitarian conditions on the ground.
“The leak has also raised fresh questions about several senior Biden-Harris administration officials who are known to advocate for increased diplomacy with Iran. This includes senior Pentagon official Ariane Tabatabai, who was identified last year as a member of a secretive pro-Iran influence group operated by the hardline regime’s government,” Adam Kredo wrote for the Washington Free Beacon on Oct. 20.
According to CNN, citing a former U.S. intelligence community official, the documents include markings that indicate they were meant to be shared with the "Five Eyes" intelligence network — made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
The documents, the former official said, appear to have been posted on a U.S. classified system that can be accessed by "thousands upon thousands" of American officials from across the government."
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