FBI says it's investigating leak of secret documents on Israel's possible attack plans
The FBI says it's investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The FBI said Tuesday that it is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration is still not certain if the classified information was leaked or hacked but that officials don’t have any indication at this point of “additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain."
The Associated Press reported Saturday that U.S. officials were investigating the release. The FBI confirmed the investigation for the first time on Tuesday and said in a statement that it is “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community." It did not comment further.
The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and note that Israel is still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were shareable within the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance comprised of the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Marked top secret, the documents first appeared online Friday on the Telegram messaging app and quickly spread among Telegram channels popular with Iranians.