In Britain, it is reported: Israel is delaying its response against Iran due to the leak of documents from the Pentagon.
The "British Times" reports today (Thursday) that Israel was forced to delay its planned response against Iran following the leak of documents from the Pentagon. The leak, published on a pro-Iranian Telegram channel last Friday, revealed details about possible IDF attack plans.
According to an intelligence source quoted in The Times, "the leak of the Pentagon documents delayed the attack due to the need to change strategy and certain components." The source emphasized that "Israel will attack, but it will take longer than it was supposed to take." The British newspaper claims in its report that following the leak, Israel fears that Iran understood how it planned to respond – and therefore had to develop a new plan.
The name of the director alleged to be the suspect in the leak is Aryan Tabatabai, an American of Iranian descent. A Pentagon spokesperson officially denied the claims, stating that "the employee mentioned in several media reports" is not under investigation, as reported. Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News reporter, claims that the Sky News Arabic report is incorrect. According to Griffin, there are still no suspects in the leak.
Following the uproar caused by the leak, the Pentagon has launched an official investigation. Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States, announced the holding of a classified and exceptional discussion in Congress following the affair.
The discussion in Congress, held with only a few hours' notice, was particularly unusual – due to the fact that it took place on a Sunday. As a rule, it is not customary to hold classified and urgent discussions in Congress on Sunday without special notice and preparation. The very fact that the discussion is taking place on such short notice indicates the great importance that Washington attaches to the affair.
The AP news agency reported that the investigation is focusing on two main factors: whether the information was obtained through an intentional leak by a member of the American intelligence community, or whether it was obtained through a hacker breach, and whether additional sensitive information was leaked beyond the two documents that have already been published. The fear that hostile entities, perhaps those directly linked to Iran, possess additional intelligence related to Israeli preparations – caused a real panic within the Biden administration.
After the exposure of two documents concerning preparations for an Israeli attack on Iran, an official American source confirmed to CNN that the leaked documents are indeed authentic and genuine. In the U.S., there is growing concern that additional sensitive information has leaked and may be exposed online soon.
The two leaked documents are classified as "Top Secret" and are intended for the "Five Eyes" forum (the intelligence partnership between the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand). According to a report by CNN, the documents were written on October 15 and 16. They were exposed last week on the Middle East Spectator Telegram and Twitter channels, which are considered pro-Iranian – increasing the panic in the Pentagon corridors.