Ex-CIA agent jailed over leak of Israeli war plans

A US court has sentenced former CIA analyst Asif Rahman to 37 months in prison for leaking classified documents related to Israeli plans for a potential strike on Iran.

Rahman, arrested in Cambodia in November 2024, initially faced up to 20 years under the Espionage Act, but a guilty plea cut the potential sentence to six and a half years, with the final punishment proving even more lenient, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

The leaked documents had been prepared by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyses, among other things, satellite imagery. The breach highlighted significant vulnerabilities in the system for granting access to classified material.

The documents, dated 15–16 October and marked as Top Secret, began circulating online on Friday, October 18, after being posted on the Telegram channel Middle East Spectator. 

They were intended strictly for members of the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance – individuals with special clearance in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The leak reportedly forced the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to revise their response plans following the Iranian strike on October 1.

One of the documents from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency detailed plans for the transfer of munitions, while another, from the National Security Agency, described Israeli Air Force exercises involving air-to-ground missiles.

One file referred to a long-standing Israeli policy – the refusal to publicly confirm the possession of nuclear weapons.

The document noted that the US saw no indication that Israel was planning to use nuclear arms against Iran.

By Aghakazim Guliyev