U.S. officials investigating the leak of two classified intelligence documents assessing Israel’s plan to attack Iran say they believe more documents have been leaked.
But the Biden administration remains “deeply disturbed” by the unauthorized release, National Security and Public Affairs Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing on Monday.
Kirby also said that U.S. officials had discussed the breach with their Israeli counterparts, but did not provide details of the conversation.
“We are deeply concerned, and the President continues to be deeply concerned, about the leaking of classified information into the public domain. That should not happen, and it is unacceptable when it does.” said.
“He will be actively monitoring the progress of the investigative effort to determine why this happened and, obviously, any mitigation measures that may result from the investigative effort. I would be very interested in hearing your recommendations.”
Earlier on Monday, Pentagon officials told the Guardian the details of how the two documents, attributed to the U.S. Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, were published on the messaging app Telegram. He confirmed that an investigation into the matter is ongoing. A few days ago.
These documents follow an escalation in the Middle East conflict triggered by the Oct. 1 missile barrage, the largest ever attack by Tehran against a regional enemy, and Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel in October 2023. It concerns Israel’s military plans for a retaliatory attack on Iran.
The first document is titled “Israel: Air Force continues preparations for attack on Iran, conducts second large-scale troop training,” and the second document is “Israel: Defense Forces prepares for attack on Iran with second large-scale troop training.” “Preparations and covert UAV operations are almost certainly continuing.” ”.
Kirby said both papers were classified as top secret and it was still unclear whether they were released intentionally or as a result of hacking. However, he said: “There is no indication at this time that there is any expectation that further such documents will be released.”
Kirby’s update came a day after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the leaks “very disturbing” and said a briefing on the progress of the investigation would be held later Sunday. .
“There are serious allegations being raised there. We are monitoring it closely,” the Louisiana congressman said in remarks on CNN’s State of the Union program.
The investigation came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was en route to the Middle East on Monday for his 11th trip since the Hamas attack. In addition to discussing the leaks, Blinken will try to start ceasefire negotiations that have stalled since Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week.
But Kirby was cautious about the chances of Blinken’s mission succeeding. “We cannot sit here today and say that negotiations will resume in Doha or Cairo or anywhere else,” he said.
“[We]will continue to engage in intensive diplomacy to see what can be done to find a path to a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.”
