A major leak of US classified documents has appeared online Saturday... or we should qualify alleged leaks of at least two TOP SECRET documents, with both marked NOFORN - which is among the highest classifications - given it indicates the specific intelligence cannot be shared with allied foreign intelligence agencies (with the exception of the "Five Eyes").
A breaking Axios report suggests their authenticity: "U.S. officials are extremely concerned about a potentially major security breach after two alleged U.S. intelligence documents about Israel's preparations for an attack on Iran were published by a Telegram account affiliated with Iran," Barak Ravid, who maintains close Israeli military and intelligence sources, writes.
The documents include one which was reportedly authored by the Department of Defense National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), dubbed a "Visual Intelligence" report and distributed among the US intelligence community (IC) earlier this week, and dated to Oct.14-16.
Neither the Pentagon nor NGA have offered official confirmation or comment, nor are they likely to. The documents first appeared on a pro-Iran Telegram channel. Axios has identified the channel name as "Middle East Spectator".
The docs first appeared online Friday, but the Axios report has strongly pointed to the authenticity of leak.
The region has remained on edge as Israel prepares to retaliate against Iran for its Oct.1st ballistic missile attack which saw some 200 projectiles pummel various sites in central Israel, some of which were said to be Iranian hypersonics. Axios has noted that "The leak could be an attempt to disrupt the Israeli operation."
A US official told Axios that the alleged leak is "extremely concerning" - again implying authenticity. The leak is also being described as potential very serious breach within the US intelligence community.
Two of the documents have appeared on social media as follows:
Israeli media has also begun to spotlight the leak.
Did Iran just hack and breach restricted US intelligence community servers?
As for content of the documents, they contain information on Israel's military transferring advanced munitions, possibly readying them for a planned attack on the Islamic Republic. One of the classified docs has the following header:
Defense Forces Continue Key Munitions Preparations and Covert UAV Activity Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran, 16 October 2024
Axios has further commented on the top secret documents as follows:
- It also states that according to U.S. signals intelligence, the Israeli Air Force conducted a large exercise this week involving intelligence planes and likely fighter jets trained for a possible attack against Iran.
- The alleged intelligence report also detailed preparations in Israeli drone units for an attack against Iran.
The Washington think tank community is outraged over the apparent major breach...
There better be a robust investigation. Recall Tehran Times also got its hands on
documents in the Malley saga. And some wonder why officials in #Israel are hesitant to share information with the U.S.? It's absolutely unacceptable, and after a series of incidents, one sadly has to also ask whether the U.S. government has been penetrated by the Islamic Republic?
The documents, if accurate, reveal the efforts by US intelligence to closely monitor the preparations of US ally Israel for an attack on Iran. In this scenario the US Geospatial-Intelligence Agency using its spy satellites to track movements at Israeli Air Force bases.
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