By Abiola Olawale
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has disclosed that it is looking into the leak of a pair of highly classified intelligence documents containing Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran.
The FBI, in a press statement issued on Tuesday, said the classified documents have been circulating since last week.
The statement reads in part: “The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.”
Also, White House spokesman John Kirby, who spoke on the development, said that it has not been determined whether the disclosure was a hack or a leak.
According to him, the United States President Joe Biden is watching the results of the investigation closely.
Kirby stated: “We’re not exactly sure how these documents found their way into the public domain.
“The president remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen, and it’s unacceptable when it does.”
It would be recalled that the leaked documents which appear to have been prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, described U.S. interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning based on satellite imagery from Oct. 15-16.
They began circulating last week on the Telegram messaging app.
The New Diplomat reports that Israel had vowed to respond to a ballistic missile barrage carried out by Iran on October 1.
The October 1 attack is Iran’s second direct attack on Israel in six months.
