A leak that leaves a mark. While the United States announced the opening of an investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency regarding a possible Israeli offensive against Iran, we now know a little more about the content of this data. sensitive.
As the BBC explains, if the American authorities have not yet established the source of this transmission, piracy or internal source, the indications “Top Secret” and “FGI”, for “Foreign Government Intelligence”, are written on the documents.
The documents were published through the Telegram channel Middle East Spectator, which identifies itself as based in Tehran, and said the data comes from an “informed source within the US intelligence community.”
Ballistic attack?
In essence, these documents constitute a classified US assessment of Israel’s preparations to attack targets in Iran. They would be based on information analyzed from October 15 and 16.
As the British media explain, there is talk of two air-launched ballistic missile systems, called Golden Horizon and Rocks. In detail, Rocks is a long-range missile system, while Golden Horison must refer to the Blue Sparrow missile, which itself has a range of around 2,000 kilometers.
According to military experts interviewed by the BBC, the use of these devices would prevent Israeli fighter jets from flying over countries neighboring Iran, such as Jordan. On the other hand, nothing indicates a possible activation of the Israeli nuclear deterrent.
Shortly after the Iranian ballistic attack against Israel on October 1, the Hebrew State promised a response towards Tehran, without its nature yet being revealed. In the documents published last week there is no mention of a specific target or a schedule of attacks.
Biden “concerned”
The disclosure of these documents provoked a widespread reaction on the other side of the Atlantic. According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, President Joe Biden said he was “deeply concerned” about this leak, in comments reported by CBS.
“I know that the Department of Defense is investigating this matter and I am sure that as they continue their investigations they will attempt to determine how this information became public,” John Kirby added.
For her part, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre assured that the matter was “under review” and that Joe Biden had “complete confidence” in his administration.
Source: BFM TV