US investigates leaked classified documents on Israel's plans to attack Iran

US House Speaker Mike Johnson says ‘leak is very concerning’

An Israeli soldier drives a vehicle on the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel.AP

The United States is investigating the leak of a pair of highly classified intelligence documents describing Israel's preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday.

Documents were reportedly prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and detail US interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy operations, based on satellite imagery from October 15 to 16.

Three US officials had earlier told the Associated Press about the investigation into the leak. A fourth US official said the documents in question appear to be legitimate.

The documents began circulating on Friday on the Telegram messaging app. Israel has been planning a response to a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on October 1, its second direct attack on Israel in six months. Israel has intensified its offensive in Gaza and Lebanon, days after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

In a CNN interview, Mr Johnson confirmed that an investigation into the leak is under way, calling it “very concerning” and acknowledging the severity of the allegations.

“I'll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours,” he said. “We are following it closely.”

Mr Johnson said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to him as “my friend” and explained how he had made it a point “to encourage him”.

The Republican from Louisiana emphasised the need for unwavering US support for Israel, stating: “We're on a precipice of a new era of security and freedom for Israel … We can't appease Iran. Now is the time for a maximum pressure campaign against the head of the snake.”

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained – including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the US intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack – and whether any other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials said.

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

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.