Posted on 10/21/24
| News Source: Times of Israel
An alleged leak of Pentagon documents detailing Israeli preparations for an attack on Iran in response to Tehran’s October 1 missile attack, has caused unease in the United States and Israel, according to a report Saturday.
The two files were published by a pro-Iran Telegram account, the “Middle East Spectator,” which claimed they were sent by a source in the Pentagon and detailed US observations of measures taken by the Israeli Air Force on October 15-16 in the lead-up to an attack.
The documents have not been authenticated by news outlets, and the Pentagon and the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence have not officially commented on the alleged leak.
However, CNN reported that US authorities are investigating the apparent leak of highly classified information, citing three unnamed people familiar with the matter. The outlet quoted a US official casting the development as “deeply concerning.”
Before that, a senior Israeli official told the Axios news site that the defense establishment was taking the leak very seriously. A US official said that the alleged leak, while extremely concerning, wouldn’t impact plans for an attack against Iran.
The documents, allegedly showing a visual intelligence report by the Department of Defense National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), noted observing IAF exercises using air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs), air-to-surface ballistic missiles, fighter jets, UAVs, and refueling tankers previously used during Israeli strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen.
According to the documents, the IAF has handled at least 16 Golden Horizon ALBMs and 40 IS02 (Rocks) ALBMs since October 8.