Pentagon: Investigation into Leak of Classified Information on Israeli Attack on Iran is in Early Stages

The Pentagon spokesperson responded to a question during a press conference on Tuesday regarding the status of a Defense Department employee whose name has been mentioned on social media concerning the leak of classified information about Israel's attack on Iran. He stated that this individual is not currently considered a suspect due to ongoing investigations. General Pat Ryder mentioned, "This investigation is still in its early stages, and we must allow the investigative process to proceed properly. As far as I know, the individual in question is not considered a suspect, and the Department of Defense remains committed to advancing this investigation." The Israeli publication 'Israel Hayom' claimed on Tuesday that Aryan Tabatabai, an Iranian-American employee of the U.S. Department of Defense, is the source of the leak of highly classified documents related to Israel's preparations for a retaliatory attack on Iran. 'Israel Hayom' published this news on its X account in Hebrew on Tuesday, November 1. The U.S. National Security Council referred a Voice of America reporter to the Department of Defense regarding this matter. Voice of America has yet to receive a response from the Department of Defense to confirm or deny this claim and will publish it as soon as it is received. This news comes as it was announced on Tuesday that the FBI is investigating the leak of classified documents related to Israel's preparations for a retaliatory attack on the Islamic Republic. In a statement released on Tuesday, November 1, the FBI noted that it is "conducting an investigation into the allegations of the leak of classified documents and is closely cooperating with our colleagues at the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies." The FBI's involvement in this case follows the White House's announcement that President Joe Biden is "very concerned" about the leak of classified intelligence documents related to Israel's preparations for a retaliatory attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran. John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, stated on Monday, October 30, that the U.S. still does not know how these Pentagon documents were leaked, and the Department of Defense's investigation is ongoing. He emphasized that the President is "actively" monitoring the progress of the ongoing investigations. Kirby stressed that there is no indication of further leaks of intelligence documents and added that U.S. officials are in contact with their Israeli counterparts. Earlier reports indicated that U.S. officials are seriously concerned about the potential for a major security breach regarding the leak of these "U.S. intelligence" documents related to Israel's preparations for an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although the specifics of how the highly classified information related to the overall plans for a potential Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic leaked remain unclear. A Telegram channel associated with the Iranian government published two of these documents on Friday, claiming to have received them from a U.S. security source. Reports suggest that the release of these two documents amid Israel's preparations to respond to the Islamic Republic's missile attack on October 1 may be an "attempt to disrupt Israeli operations." An American official told Axios that while this action is very concerning, it will not affect Israeli operations against the Iranian government. Additionally, a senior Israeli official told Axios that Israeli defense officials are aware of this issue and take it very seriously. On Monday, Israeli prosecutors also arrested seven citizens of the country on charges of espionage and carrying out hundreds of missions for the Iranian government. According to the Times of Israel, the detainees are accused of photographing and gathering information about the bases and facilities of the Israeli army, including the Nevatim and Ramat air bases, as well as the locations of Iron Dome artillery positions. Prosecutors, citing findings from the police and Shin Bet, state that the suspects performed various tasks for Iranian intelligence agencies and were in contact with Iranian agents. The suspects received hundreds of thousands of dollars for completing their assigned tasks, part of which was in cryptocurrency. Reports indicate that some of the suspects had been spying for the Iranian government for two years, and all of them had been spies for the Islamic Republic since the onset of the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. An analytical report by Agence France-Presse discusses Iran's "dual strategy" towards Israel. Netanyahu called his assassination plot a "big mistake"; we are determined to "change the security reality" in the Middle East. The Israeli Energy Minister stated that what enemies have seen is less than ten percent of our capabilities, and the option to attack Iran's nuclear facilities is on the table. Austin: U.S. forces are ready to defend Israel and prevent aggression.