Two leaked documents outlined that Israel are still moving military assets into place so they can launch a military strike. The strike is in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on 1 October, which killed at least 73 people.

The United States government is currently investigating how the unauthorised release of classified documents happened. US officials told The Associated Press that the documents looked legitimate and another official told CNN that the leaks were “deeply concerning”.

The documents, labelled top secret, are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. They were only shareable within the “five eyes” which are America, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada but were first posted on the Telegram messaging app.

The investigation is looking into who had access to the documents and how it was released to the general public. The US are unsure if a intelligence community member leaked it, or if the US intelligence system was hacked. It will investigate if more documents and information were compromised in the leak.

America has expressed their desire for Israel to try and take advantage of the death of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and obtain a cease fire in Gaza. The US also urged Israel not to expand their military operations into the north of Lebanon, due to the risk threat it may cause a wider regional war. Israel however, has repeatedly said that Iran’s ballistic missile attack must be responded too.

In a statement, the Pentagon said they were aware of reports that classified documents had been leaked, but didn’t make any further comments on the situation. Israel is yet to comment on the leaks.

Photo: Vice President Joe Biden visit to Israel March 2016 by U.S. Embassy Jerusalem is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons License. This image has not been modified.