DOD, FBI investigate suspected major intelligence leak of documents showing US analysis of Israeli military preparations

WASHINGTON — The FBI and the Defense Department are investigating what could be a major intelligence breach, revealing what appears to be classified information about Israel’s plans to attack Iran, US officials said Monday.

Here’s what we know so far:

Two leaked documents appear to divulge US analysis of Israel’s plans against Iran

Earlier this month, Israel vowed to retaliate against Iran for its missile attack on October 1, when Iran fired 200 missiles at several targets inside Israel. It was unclear, however, how or when Israel would respond.

Amid speculation about Israel’s next move, two documents marked “top secret” appeared on social media last week purporting to show the US military’s analysis of Israeli operations.

One document purports to be from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), a military agency that collects, analyzes and distributes intelligence obtained from aerial and satellite imagery. The second claims to contain information generated by the National Security Agency. (NSA).

ABC News is not directly citing or showing the documents, which appear to detail the movement of Israeli military equipment and ammunition that could be used in a possible attack.

One of the documents claimed that Israel could attack Iran without the US seeing further visual clues from above.

The FBI was looking into the leak as part of a criminal investigation, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The White House said Monday that the Defense Department was also investigating the disclosure and that officials have discussed the suspected breach with Israel.

“We are deeply concerned, and the president remains deeply concerned, about any leak of classified information into the public domain. That’s not supposed to happen, and it’s unacceptable when it does, so he’s deeply concerned about that,” said the national security of the White House. spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

Kirby said there is no indication that more documents may be released, but “we will certainly keep our antenna on and our eyes open for any potential future disclosures.”

Asked Monday about the leak, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to comment beyond saying “we take this kind of thing very seriously. Very, very seriously.”

It is still unclear whether the documents were leaked by an insider or stolen by a hacker

Both documents bear markings indicating that, if authentic, they would have been shared with the so-called Five Eyes, the intelligence-sharing alliance made up of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The documents appeared on a Telegram channel called Middle East Spectator, an anonymous blog that often posts pro-Iran content. The channel’s administrator told ABC News that they obtained the documents through an acquaintance who received them from an unknown source. The administrator denied affiliation with any government.

It is possible that a foreign entity such as the government of Iran stole the documents by hacking into the systems of nations with access to intelligence. But at least one official familiar with the investigation said the probe will aggressively focus on anyone working for or with the US government who has access to the material.

When asked about the possibility that the leak was done by an insider, Kirby declined to speculate.

“We’ll let the investigation take its logical course there,” Kirby said.

Earlier this year, Massachusetts Air National Guard Agent Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of withholding and knowingly transmitting national defense information. According to prosecutors, Teixeira leaked information in a Discord chat room about the type of equipment the US was sending to Ukraine, troop movements in Ukraine and a plot by a foreign adversary to attack US forces in the foreigner

what happens next

Lawmakers are likely to have serious questions about how another major public release of classified information could happen again after the Teixeira case.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN on Sunday that lawmakers were receiving a secret briefing.

Another question is whether the leak has forced Israel to adjust its military plans.

“If it is true that Israel’s tactical plans to respond to Iran’s October 1 attack were leaked, it is a serious violation,” said Mick Mulroy, a security fellow and national defense for ABC News who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense. for the Middle East.

“Everyone who has access to this information has an obligation to keep it secure,” Mulroy said. “The men and women of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) would carry out this mission could be compromised because of it, future coordination between the US and Israel could also be called into question.”

ABC News’ Christopher Looft and Luke Barr contributed to this report.