US investigates unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel attack plans

The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents assessing Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appeared legitimate.

The documents are attributed to the U.S. Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency and note that Israel continues to move military assets to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on October 1. They were shared as part of the “Five Eyes” program. ”, namely the United States, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, classified top secret, were published online on Telegram and first reported by media outlets CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained – including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the US intelligence community or whether they were obtained through another method, such as hacking – and whether other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials said. said. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were released, the official said.

The documents were released as the United States urged Israel to take advantage of the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and push for a ceasefire in Gaza, and also warned Israel urgently against the further expansion of military operations in northern Lebanon and the risk of conflict. wider regional war. However, Israeli leaders have repeatedly emphasized that they will not let the Iranian missile attack go unanswered.

Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been designated terrorist organizations by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and others.

In a statement, the Pentagon said it was aware of the reports about the documents but had no further comment.

Hamas’ attack on Israel a year ago killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of around 250 hostages. The Israeli counter-offensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,400 Palestinians, more than half of whom were women and children, according to Gaza health authorities. The Israeli military says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.