The United States is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents detailing Israel's plans to attack Iran, according to the Associated Press.
The document, attributed to the U.S. Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, states that Israel is still keeping its military assets in place to carry out military strikes in response to Iran's heavy ballistic missile attack on October 1. It is stated that it has been moved to a certain position. The document could be shared within the “five countries”. “Eyes” refers to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
The document, marked top secret, was posted on the messaging app Telegram last week and was first reported by CNN and Axios. The Associated Press first reported on Sunday about the U.S. investigation into the wrongful release, citing three U.S. officials. A fourth U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the documents appeared to be legitimate, according to the Associated Press.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) also acknowledged the investigation in an appearance on CNN.
“The leak is very concerning,” Johnson said on CNN's “State of the Union” on Sunday. “There are some serious allegations and there is an ongoing investigation. We will be briefed on that in the next few hours.” said. “There will be a classified level briefing and then another briefing. But we are monitoring that closely.”
Israel Defense Forces: 'The mission is not over' and 'we will not rest' until hostages return
Aerial view of the Department of Defense on March 31, 2024. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
The investigation will examine how the documents were obtained, including whether they were intentionally leaked by members of the U.S. intelligence community or through other means, such as hacking, and whether other intelligence information was compromised. are also being investigated, one of the officials said. The Associated Press added that authorities are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted.
The document was first published online on Friday through a Telegram channel, claiming it had been leaked by someone in the US intelligence community and then the US Department of Defense. This information appears to have been collected entirely using satellite image analysis.
President Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Israel's UN ambassador: Dealing with Iran will be 'extremely painful'
The Associated Press reported that one of the two documents is similar in style to other National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency documents leaked by Air National Guard officer Jack Teixeira. pleaded guilty in March This led to the leak of top secret military documents related to Russia's war with Ukraine and other national security secrets.
The Telegram channel involved in the leak said it was based in Iran's capital, Tehran. It has previously published memes featuring Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and content supporting Tehran's self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Middle Eastern terror groups armed by the Islamic Republic.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In a statement to The Associated Press, the Pentagon said it was aware of reports of the document but did not provide further details. The Associated Press said the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
FOX News Digital reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense, but there was no immediate response.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
