FBI probing leak of US intel on Israel's attack plans for Iran
The FBI is
investigating the public disclosure of a pair of highly classified intelligence
documents describing Israel's preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran,
the bureau said on Tuesday.
"The FBI is
investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with
our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community," it
said in a statement.
White House spokesman
John Kirby said on Monday that it has not been determined whether the
disclosure was a hack or a leak. President Joe Biden was watching the results
of the investigation closely, he added.
"We're not exactly
sure how these documents found their way into the public domain," Kirby
told reporters.
"The president
remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the
public domain. That is not supposed to happen, and it's unacceptable when it
does," he said.
The documents appear to
have been prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, describing
U.S. interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning based on satellite
imagery from Oct. 15-16.
They began circulating
last week on the Telegram messaging app. Israel has been planning a response to
a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on Oct. 1, Tehran's second
direct attack on Israel in six months.
Israel has intensified
its offensive in Gaza and Lebanon, days after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya
Sinwar.
U.S. House of
Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said an investigation
was under way.
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