‘Deeply concerning’ leaked documents show Israel is plotting a ‘potential strike on Iran‘ in response to escalating military tensions.
While the papers are yet to be verified, US officials have not denied their authenticity after they circulated on social media.
The news comes just hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was targeted in an alleged drone assassination attempt.
Last September Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the operation against militant group Hezbollah and the killing of Hamas leaders.
Israel’s fury was compounded yesterday as Tehran undertook an alleged assassination attempt in the form of a drone carrying explosives toward the family home of Netanyahu.
Israel last night accused Tehran of an assassination attempt after a drone carrying explosives was launched at the family home of Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured in a defiant video telling viewers ‘I am proud of you’
Aftermath of a missile fired from Lebanon into Haifa on Saturday
Black smoke billows over Beirut southern suburb. Israel conducted strikes targeting Hezbollah’s main bastion and the southern city of Nabtaiyeh where it holds sway, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed calls for a ceasefire
The report leak occurred on Friday when the Middle East Spectator Telegram channel claimed it had received documents about Israel’s strike preparations from a source within the US intelligence community.
These documents are marked top secret and have markings indicating they are meant to be seen only by the US and its ‘Five Eyes’ allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Documents included an alleged report from the US Department of Defense’s visual intelligence agency, circulated within the US intelligence community three days earlier.
The report detailed alleged recent actions at Israel Air Force (IAF) bases, including the movement of advanced munitions believed to be intended for a strike on Iran.
It also noted that intelligence obtained indicated the IAF conducted an exercise this week involving fighter jets and drones as part of its strike preparations.
‘If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on October 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,’ said Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and a retired CIA officer.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, yesterday issued a rallying cry following Yahya Sinwar’s death, vowing: ‘Hamas is alive and will stay alive’
President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 25, 2024
Civil defense teams and Palestinian residents extinguish the fire and search and rescue work in the home of Al-Salhi family after Israeli attacks on Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza City, Gaza on October 15, 2024
Mulroy added that ‘the future coordination between the US and Israel could be challenged as well. Trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this was leaked that trust could be eroded.’
One of the documents also suggests Israel has nuclear weapons – something the state has never publicly confirmed. It adds the US has not seen any indications that Israel plans to use a nuclear weapon against Iran.
The leak is ‘deeply concerning,’ a US official told CNN.
Neither the Israeli Prime Minister nor his wife Sara were at the property in the coastal town of Caesarea, between Tel Aviv and Haifa, when the device was launched from Lebanon as part of yesterday’s early hours assassination attempt.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 27, 2024
It is understood to have struck a building near Mr Netanyahu’s large, white-brick residence.
The alleged attempt marked a period of heightened tensions in the region, with Israeli officials condemning Iran and Hezbollah, which Iran backs, for the attempt on Mr Netanyahu’s life.
Israel last night continued to bomb the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, while Lebanese state media reported fresh strikes on a Hezbollah stronghold near Beirut, after the Israel Defence Forces ordered residents to leave the capital city.
It came two days after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacre last year which left 1,200 dead and triggered the escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas.
Last night, Netanyahu said: ‘The agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake.
‘This will not deter me and the State of Israel from continuing the war against our enemies to take our security for generations.
‘I say to the Iranians and their partners in the axis of evil: Anyone who harms the State of Israel will pay a heavy price for it.’
The war against enemies has seen over 40,000 people killed in Gaza and tens of thousands injured.
