US documents detailing Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran were leaked online on Friday. The documents, allegedly leaked by the US Department of Defense’s National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies Institute (NIMSAT).
According to Haaretz, these documents describe findings from ongoing monitoring of Israel’s preparations for a response to the October 1 ballistic missile attack.
An Israeli source told Haaretz that the US apologized to Israel for the leak. At present, the authenticity of the documents remains unclear. If they are genuine, it is uncertain how or why they were leaked.
The documents were first published by a pro-Iranian Telegram channel, the Middle East Spectator, which claimed to have received them from a source within a US intelligence agency. Sources in Washington declined to comment but did not deny the authenticity of the documents.
Preparations for the strike
The information, collected on October 15 and 16, includes the hiding of fortified underground bunkers of warplanes at the air base Hatcherim and indications of preparations for equipping aircraft-launched ballistic missiles.
The IDF conducted a large-scale exercise last week for a possible attack, involving three supply aircraft and a G550 command and control plane developed by Israel Aerospace Industries.
The missiles to be used
The document also notes preparations to equip the aircraft with two types of air-launched ballistic missiles. One of them is ROCKS, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The advantage of these missiles is their ability to launch precision munitions from a distance, beyond enemy air defense systems.
Another missile mentioned in the leaked documents is called “Golden Horizon,” a previously unpublished name that makes it difficult to identify. It may refer to a missile of the Sparrow series, usually used as a target for air defense systems, but also capable of offensive use, such as the missiles it simulates.
The Blue Sparrow missile has a length of 6.5 meters, a range of 2,000 kilometers and a pre-launch weight of 1,900 kilograms. After launch, it behaves like a ballistic missile, rising to a great height before hitting its target.
Other Sparrow models are also mentioned, such as the larger Silver Sparrow and the smaller Black Sparrow. According to Rafael’s brochures, the inert warhead, which lacks explosives, can be replaced with an explosive one.
Second leak in two years
According to information from Rafael leaflets, the warhead of the Sparrow missile can be replaced with one loaded with explosives. A few months ago, the British newspaper Financial Times speculated that missiles of this type were used by Israel in response to Iran’s missile, cruise missile and drone attacks on April 14.
This is not the first time that top secret information about Israel has been leaked by US intelligence services, as was seen in the Jack Teixeira case two years ago.
#Top #Secret #Pentagon #Documents #Leaked #Israels #Plan #Retaliate #Iran
