JERUSALEM – The United States is apparently investigating the source of a leak of top secret documents which purport to show detailed plans of Israel’s presumed retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile strike on the Jewish state on Oct. 1. The documents found their way to a pro-Iranian Telegram channel, where they were published.
The two files were published by a pro-Iran Telegram account, the “Middle East Spectator,” which claimed they were sent by a source in the Pentagon and detailed U.S. observations of measures taken by the Israeli Air Force on Oct. 15–16 in the lead-up to a purported attack, according to a report in the Times of Israel.
Neither the Pentagon nor the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence officially commented on the leak. However, in the early hours of Sunday morning Israel time, an American official did confirm the documents were genuine, prompting an investigation into the leak.
It was instructive that despite early denials or claims of delayed authentication, the relevant branches of the U.S. defense establishment began to act very quickly as though the documents were indeed genuine, and a highly embarrassing leak had taken place.
PENTAGON LEAKS ON ISRAEL: A few hours ago, a pro-Iranian Telegram and X account posted Top-Secret Pentagon documents about Israel’s preparation for its attack in Iran.
An American official confirmed to CNN that the intelligence documents are original and genuine, and an… pic.twitter.com/kS2bwD3Qao
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) October 20, 2024
Perhaps unsurprisingly it was Axios’ own Biden administration stenographer Barak Ravid who broke the story, and it was reported a senior Israeli official told the Axios news site the defense establishment was taking the leak very seriously.
Whether the source of the leak is found or not – and the Biden administration’s record is not good to say the least – this latest event represents a nadir in relations between the United States and Israel. Jerusalem enjoyed – if that is the correct word in the circumstances – a period of sustained successes, seemingly precisely because Israel’s political and military leaders ignored Washington’s advice. The very fruits of their labors seemed to broadcast how Israel’s interests had been significantly advanced, precisely because they had done the opposite of what the Biden administration wanted them to do.
Remember, Vice President and Democratic nominee for the presidency Kamala Harris, who hubristically declared she had studied the maps and therefore, cautioned against the IDF’s entry into Rafah. The retrieval of some hostages and the elimination late last week of the Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar is evidence, if any were needed, of just how out of her depth Harris truly is.
Furthermore, the IAF strikes which took out Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, one of his most trusted consigliere Fuad Shukr, and the elimination of Hamas “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh, were all kept secret from the U.S., clearly – and justifiably – because Israel has an enormous deficit of trust with regard to the American administration.
Beyond Biden and Harris, however, it is becoming ever-clearer that certain individuals within specific departments in the U.S. government are actively working against Israel, a supposed regional ally in the Middle East; and worse, are actually providing succor for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
One of the functionaries under most scrutiny is Ariane Tabatabai from the Pentagon’s office of low intensity conflict/special operations, where she works with Christopher Maier. There are others too around whom suspicion of their loyalties is heightened, including Maher Bitai, and the disgraced – although still influential – Robert Malley.
I called it this morning.
The Biden-Harris White House is brimming with pro-Khamenei operatives.
An intelligence source indicates that the confidential documents regarding Israel’s planned strike against Iran were leaked by the office for which ARIANE TABATABAI works. https://t.co/Vsol7R5omb pic.twitter.com/d5qonBBz8O
— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) October 20, 2024
At the very least, the leak gives Israel enormous pause for thought about multiple aspects of the Biden administration and its attitude toward the Jewish state. While the tired and unhelpful line about “Israel having a right to defend itself” is trotted out ad infinitum, it is becoming less clear what this actually means, and to what end this current administration actually believes this mantra.
I’m struggling to wrap my head around the scale of this failure.
This isn’t about Israel. If America can’t keep secrets, it won’t be able to fight wars, conduct espionage operations or pursue delicate negotiations as long as some junior official doesn’t like it. https://t.co/aBWENiuHLA
— Haviv Rettig Gur (@havivrettiggur) October 20, 2024
Furthermore, there is some confusion about how penetrative U.S. intelligence is. The execrable vice president sought to take credit – perhaps another case of stolen valor if you will, which seems to be a problem with the top of the Democratic presidential ticket – for American intelligence assistance in helping to track and corner Sinwar.
The fact he was taken out unexpectedly by an ordinary unit while on a somewhat routine reconnaissance mission – and not by an elite commando unit – rather suggests this was not the case. But it has caused some to wonder how much the U.S. knew about the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and whether it simply chose not to share any of that information.
It is a seriously sorry state of affairs when the only impression left is of the Biden-Harris administration not wanting Israel to win its war against Iran and its multiple proxies. Is it simply a case of sunk costs – the United States having wasted so much political, diplomatic and monetary capital trying to bring the Islamic Republic in from the cold as per former President Obama’s phantasy? Or is it something more nefarious?
What cannot be denied is at every turn different actors in this administration have put impediment after impediment in Israel’s way, making the job of actually winning significantly more difficult.
