Israel had to rewrite and delay its plan to strike Iran after a U.S. intelligence document outlining the plan leaked over the weekend, The Times reported on Thursday.
The leaked document contained details of Israel’s preparatory actions ahead of its strike against Iran, which itself launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israeli territory on Oct. 1. The document was abruptly leaked to a pro-Iranian social media channel last week, and the Israelis have had to sketch up an alternative plan — which has ultimately resulted in delays in carrying out the operation, sources familiar with the matter told the Times. (RELATED: As Israel Notches Key Battlefield Victories, Fatigue Starts To Grip Its Soldiers)
The U.S. is currently investigating the leak. It isn’t clear who leaked the documents or how they had access to them.
“The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components,” an intelligence source with knowledge of the Israeli’s plan told the Times. “There will be a retaliation, but it has taken longer than expected.”
Palestinian youths inspect a fallen projectile after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in response to the killings of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and other Iran-backed militants, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 1, 2024. (Photo by ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel altered the plans because it feared that Iran would be able to use the leaked U.S. intelligence documents to prepare for the strike, according to the Times. The leaked documents didn’t contain any potential strike sites, but did detail what moves Israel had been making in advance, such as ballistic missile preparation and drone surveillance.
It isn’t clear how or when Israel plans to strike Iran, but the U.S. has reportedly convinced their Israeli counterparts not to go after Iranian oil or nuclear sites, which President Joe Biden had expressed concern over. Instead, Israel is likely to go after Iranian military targets.
The U.S. has supported Israel’s right to retaliate against Iran but has broadly called for regional de-escalation. The current conflict in the Middle East — which started when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — has only broadened, however, and drawn in other bad actors such as Hezbollah.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been traveling around the Middle East and trying to convince officials in various Arab states to close their airspace so that Israeli jets can’t fly through them, according to the Times. Araghchi’s Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, told Araghchi that Jordan would “not be a battlefield for anyone and will not allow any party to violate its sovereignty and airspace.”
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