A Telegram group posted what it calls 'highly classified' US documents about Israel's attack plans
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images
- A Telegram group posted what it says is leaked US intel on Israel's attack plans against Iran.
- Middle East Spectator shared the documents but couldn't verify their authenticity.
- US officials have not yet commented publicly on the possible leak.
A Telegram channel posted what it says are "highly classified" US intelligence documents analyzing Israel's plans to attack Iran.
The channel for the "Middle East Spectator," which describes itself as an "open-source news aggregator" independent of any government, said in a statement that it had "received, through an anonymous source on Telegram who refused to identify himself, two highly classified U.S. intelligence documents, regarding preparations by the Zionist regime for an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The Middle East Spectator said in its posted statement that it could not verify the authenticity of the documents.
No US or Israeli officials have publicly commented on the possible leak. Axios reported that intelligence officials declined to comment but did not dispute the veracity of the documents.
Spokespersons for the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment made by Business Insider.
The region is bracing for an expected Israeli attack on Iran. Israeli officials have said it plans to retaliate for Iran's October 1 missile attack. The US announced this month it would send troops along with "a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery" to Israel in response to Iran's attack.
Iran's missile attack on Israel came in retaliation for Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in late September. Hezbollah is Iran's primary proxy in the region.
Sean McFate, a national security and foreign policy expert at Syracuse University, told Business Insider in a text that Israel's plan to attack Iran is "no surprise," and he senses a debate is going on within Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's government as to which targets to choose.
He said the document leak is notable given that there are "not a whole lot of Iran sympathizers within the US government."
"It's also a tense time between Biden and Bibi right now," McFate said, "and all under the shadow of the election."