DOD, FBI investigating suspected major intelligence leak of documents showing US analyzes of Israeli military preparations

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

Here’s what we know so far:

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

Earlier this month, Israel vowed to retaliate against Iran for its October 1 missile attack, when Iran launched 200 missiles at several targets inside Israel. However, it was not clear how and when Israel would respond.

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

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

ABC News is not directly quoting from or showing the documents, which appear to detail the movements 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 any further visual cues from above.

The FBI was investigating 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 is 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 the leaking of classified information into the public domain. That shouldn’t happen, and it’s unacceptable if it does, so he’s very concerned about that.” Spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

Kirby said there is no indication that any more documents could be released, but “we will certainly keep our antenna up and our eyes peeled for any potential future revelations.”

When asked Monday about the leak, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin declined to discuss any details other than saying “we take this stuff very seriously. Very, very seriously.”

It is not yet clear 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 surfaced on a Telegram channel called Middle East Spectator, an anonymous blog that regularly publishes pro-Iranian content. The station’s administrator told ABC News that they obtained the documents through an acquaintance who received them from an unknown source. The administrator denied having ties to any government.

It is possible that a foreign entity such as the government of Iran stole the documents by hacking into the systems of countries with access to the intelligence. But at least one official familiar with the investigation said the probe will aggressively target anyone who works for or with the U.S. government and had access to the material.

When asked about the possibility that the leak was caused 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 Guardsman Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of intentionally retaining and transmitting national defense information. Prosecutors say Teixeira leaked information in a Discord chat room about the type of equipment the U.S. was sending to Ukraine, troop movements in Ukraine and a plot by a foreign adversary to attack U.S. troops abroad.

What’s next?

Lawmakers will likely have serious questions about how another major public disclosure of classified information could occur after the Teixeira case.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN on Sunday that lawmakers were receiving a classified 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, that is a serious breach,” said Mick Mulroy, an ABC News national security and defense contributor who served as deputy was secretary of defense. for the Middle East.

“Anyone who has access to this information has a duty to keep it secure,” Mulroy said. ‘The men and women of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) who would carry out this mission could be jeopardized and future coordination between the US and Israel could also be tested.”

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