Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, a US Department of Defense official revealed that a senior Pentagon employee is suspected of leaking Israeli response plans regarding Iran to entities in Tehran.
The official told Sky News Arabia, “The employee suspected of leaking the Israeli military plan to strike Iran is of American-Iranian descent and is named Ariane Tabatabai.”
While awaiting the official investigation results, the official stated that the congressional intelligence and armed services committees have been notified of the situation, especially since the suspect has a “top secret clearance that gives her the right to view highly classified information.”
The suspect, who has not been convicted, is the director of the office of the Assistant to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for Special Operations and International Conflicts.
Members of the US Congress, particularly Republicans, have linked the name of the suspect to investigations involving US envoy for Iran Robert Malley, who is under scrutiny for allegedly handling classified information without prior authorization and conducting covert contacts with Iranian figures.
Earlier today, Israeli Channel 14 reported that “the Israeli plan to respond to the Iranian missile attack is ready and includes targeting the homes of Iranian officials in retaliation for the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a drone launched by Hezbollah at his residence in northern Israel days ago.”
The channel further noted that “the Israeli army and the foreign intelligence service presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant with a detailed plan to respond to the missile attack launched by Iran.”
Earlier this month, Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the assassinations of senior figures in Tehran and Beirut. Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general.
Israel recently acknowledged that Iranian missiles struck military targets, causing over $50 million in material damage, though it did not report any casualties.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen further warned that "no military facility, infrastructure, or individual is immune from our attack," adding, "All options are on the table, including striking Iran's nuclear facilities."