Leak of classified documents from the US and the reaction of allies

This is considered the most serious leak of classified documents since the leak of hundreds of secret US documents appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2013.

US officials are investigating to determine the source of the leak of about 100 pages of classified documents from the US Department of Defense last week. The US Department of Defense announced that it has officially referred the matter to the Department of Justice for investigation. The investigation is being carried out in the context of many questions continuing to be raised about the origin and authenticity of these documents.

Illustration photo: Reuters

Last week, the documents, marked secret, were posted on social media sites, including Twitter. The documents resemble daily updates from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but are not publicly available. The documents were released between February 23 and March 1, revealing details about the situation in many countries around the world , including US allies.

Among the documents are the depletion of Ukraine's S-300 air defense system, Israel's Mossad intelligence agency's encouragement of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial plan, and internal discussions among senior South Korean officials about US pressure to force its ally to supply weapons to Ukraine.

If the information is accurate, this is considered one of the most serious leaks of classified US documents since more than 700,000 documents and videos appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2013. This could endanger sources and damage important US foreign relations with allies.

Immediately after the leaked information was announced, many US allies spoke out about this incident.

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Tuesday (April 10) that fact-checking the documents is a top priority and that South Korea will ask the United States to take appropriate steps after confirming the details. The presidential office did not rule out the possibility that the documents were fabricated or the product of third-party interference, and warned that any attempt to "break the alliance will face consequences." In a more severe response, some lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea expressed regret over the incident.

Speaking at a press conference, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung Joo stressed: “We regret that the US intelligence agency illegally spied on allies like us. We demand an investigation and call for a similar incident to not happen again.”

On the Israeli side, in a statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office described the accusation as a lie and without any basis. Meanwhile, Ukraine said President Volodymyr Zelensky and their top security officials would hold a meeting to discuss ways to prevent this information leak.

According to VOV

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