Media: Intelligence leaks expose Israel's preparations for major strike against Iran

Recent leaks of American satellite intelligence have revealed that Israel has been conducting extensive military drills in preparation for a potential ballistic missile attack on Iran.

These documents, which surfaced on pro-Iranian social media accounts, indicate that the exercises involved at least 16 airborne missiles, 40 advanced Rocks missiles, and refuelling tankers, highlighting a range of targets across the country, Caliber.Az reports via The Times.

The scale of these drills mirrors Israel's recent strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, a group backed by Iran that has engaged in attacks on Western shipping in the Red Sea and has fired drones at Israeli territory.

Notably, the leaked intelligence does not specify whether the potential targets in Iran are conventional military sites, nuclear facilities, or parts of the oil industry. President Biden has cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against striking these sensitive targets, warning that such actions could cross Iran's "red lines" and escalate tensions into a wider regional conflict.

The intelligence reports do not suggest any covert operations that Netanyahu may be planning in response to an Iranian missile barrage on October 1, when 181 ballistic missiles were launched at Israeli cities and military bases.

Historically, Israel has conducted covert operations to eliminate nuclear and energy sites, assassinate scientists, and execute cyber operations, occasionally in collaboration with the United States.

Biden has indicated that he is relying on intelligence reports alongside direct communications with Netanyahu. When questioned during a visit to Germany for a G7 meeting about his knowledge of Israel's response plans to the Iranian attack, Biden stated, “Yes and yes,” but declined to disclose specifics, saying, “No and no.”

The leaked documents, labelled “top secret,” were produced by the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, which specialises in analysing satellite imagery. The reports, which have not been disputed by US officials, primarily reference satellite images from October 15 and 16, indicating that “the Israel Defence Forces continued key munitions preparations and covert UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) activity almost certainly for a strike on Iran.”

The analysis suggests that an attack could occur without any further warning based on intelligence from spy satellites.

The Israeli Air Force has prepared 16 “golden horizon” missiles and 40 ISO2 Rocks missiles, which have been supplied by the United States in recent years. Some Rocks missiles are believed to have been employed in prior Israeli operations against Iran since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, including a limited strike on a military base in April.

This latest escalation comes amid Israel's intensifying conflict with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that has been bombarding northern Israel in support of Hamas since October last year. Following the assassination of Hezbollah's military chief, Fuad Shukr, in a strike on Beirut, Israel has targeted nearly the entirety of Hezbollah's military and political leadership, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, through two substantial bombing raids.

By Aghakazim Guliyev