US investigates leaked documents alleging Israel plans to attack Iran

A US official told the Associated Press the documents in question appeared to be legitimate, but the Guardian was not immediately able to verify their authenticity.

The documents are attributed to the US Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. They are written in a style similar to documents previously leaked from the Pentagon, using classifications familiar to the national security community.

Based on monitoring from satellite imagery and other geospatial intelligence, they focus on Israeli preparations relating to air-launched ballistic missiles, refuelling aircraft and covert long-range drone surveillance in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East.

The two documents appear to represent a snapshot in time, and are likely to represent the outcome of continuous monitoring. At one point, it is said there is no evidence that Israel is planning to use a nuclear weapon.

They refer to preparations to use long-range Rocks missiles, made by the Israeli company Rafael, which are designed to destroy targets above and below ground. Another ballistic system called Golden Horizon is also referred to, but no system of that name is publicly known.

Many elements in the two documents are described as shareable within the Five Eyes intelligence network made up of the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Others are marked as only shareable between the US and the UK.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app and first reported by CNN and Axios.

As part of that investigation, officials were working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted, the official added.

In a statement, the Pentagon said it was aware of the reports of the documents but did not have further comment.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the leak of the two documents. Israeli security officials were expected to meet on Sunday evening.

The documents first appeared online Friday via a channel on Telegram, claiming they had been leaked by someone in the US intelligence community, then later the US Department of Defense. The information appeared entirely gathered through the use of satellite image analysis.

Analytical intelligence documents have a wide distribution within the US national security apparatus, but the Pentagon has been engaged in an effort to clamp down on leaks by restricting them after Teixeira leaked dozens of slides on Discord, a social media site popular with gamers, in April 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report