The New York Times said the leak of classified documents reflects US concerns about Israel's plans, as the Tel Aviv government increases attacks on Lebanon.
Behind the leaked documents
A total of two sets of documents prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (USA) in recent times suddenly appeared online, according to The New York Times on October 20. The content of the documents includes the results of analyzing images obtained from the US spy satellite system, showing that the Israeli army is preparing to attack Iran in the coming days. This is considered a move by the Tel Aviv government in response to Tehran launching nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israeli territory on October 1.
Secret documents about Israel's plan to attack Iran leaked?
One document, titled “Israel: Air Force Continues Preparations for Attack on Iran,” describes recent exercises by the relevant units. The other document analyzes that Israel has moved the positions of missiles and weapons in case of an Iranian response. Neither document includes any satellite imagery, but the leak reflects some of the US’s concerns about unannounced Israeli military action. In addition, the Washington administration has once again been caught spying on one of its closest allies.
Smoke rises from the direction of Nabatiyeh City on October 20.
The New York Times quoted unnamed US officials as confirming that the documents were authentic, although the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the information. What the US side has collected may only reflect part of the plan, because the US intelligence system is unable to detect cyberattacks or sabotage planned by Israel on Iranian territory.
Warning message?
In another development, on October 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in the northern Israeli town of Caesarea was attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Israeli Prime Minister and his wife were not at home when the incident occurred, and Netanyahu later accused Iranian agents of plotting to assassinate him. However, Iran’s mission to the UN denied being behind the attack and said Hezbollah was responsible.
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In an interview with The Jerusalem Post , Professor Amatzia Baram of the University of Haifa (Israel) commented that Hezbollah's UAV attack on Mr. Netanyahu's private home is proof that Iran is fully capable of carrying out an attack on the Israeli Prime Minister. "The Iranians know that the UAV was not aimed directly at Mr. Netanyahu, but it was a symbolic message. They want to show that they have the ability to attack anywhere," Professor Baram said. This Middle East expert also commented that this was not a strategic attack, because Hezbollah did not deploy its heavy, precise missiles. "Iran is likely to reserve Hezbollah's strategic missiles for a larger conflict, a conflict in which Iran is involved," according to Mr. Baram.
The professor also mentioned the challenges Israel faces in responding to Hezbollah's UAV campaigns. Hezbollah sometimes deploys multiple UAVs at once, complicating Israel's tracking and detection efforts. "The main challenge is how to detect them early, especially when they fly low and maintain slow speeds," he analyzed. While Israel continues to develop technological solutions, Baram noted that the process is slow and therefore inconsistent.
Israel launched a series of attacks on targets in Lebanon.
According to AFP, the Israeli army yesterday carried out attacks on the Dahiyeh area, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, and destroyed the enemy's intelligence headquarters as well as an underground weapons factory. On the same day, Lebanese media reported that Israel had struck dozens of villages and towns in southern Lebanon. The city of Nabatiyeh was targeted by Israeli fighter jets for the third time and rescue forces were said to be trying to find survivors under the rubble after being hit by Israeli missiles. For its part, the Israeli army yesterday recorded about 70 rockets launched from Lebanon into its territory.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-trung-dong-lai-them-phuc-tap-185241020224414512.htm
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