White House: Biden ‘Deeply Concerned’ about Release of Documents on Israel’s Possible Attack Plans

US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)
US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)
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White House: Biden ‘Deeply Concerned’ about Release of Documents on Israel’s Possible Attack Plans

US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)
US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)

President Joe Biden is "deeply concerned" about the release of classified documents on Israel's preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran, according to a White House spokesman.

US officials confirmed on Saturday that the administration is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that the administration was still not certain if the classified information that became publicly disclosed was leaked or hacked.

Kirby added that administration officials don’t have any indication at this point of "additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain." He added the Pentagon is investing the matter.

"We’re deeply concerned and the president remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen and it’s unacceptable when it does," Kirby said.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the "Five Eyes," which are the US, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app.



South Korean Delegation to Brief NATO on North Korean Troops for Russia, Alliance Says

A man walks past a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul on October 21, 2024, with coverage on North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines and a photo (C) of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toasting at a banquet in Pyongyang earlier this year. (AFP)
A man walks past a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul on October 21, 2024, with coverage on North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines and a photo (C) of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toasting at a banquet in Pyongyang earlier this year. (AFP)
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South Korean Delegation to Brief NATO on North Korean Troops for Russia, Alliance Says

A man walks past a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul on October 21, 2024, with coverage on North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines and a photo (C) of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toasting at a banquet in Pyongyang earlier this year. (AFP)
A man walks past a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul on October 21, 2024, with coverage on North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines and a photo (C) of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toasting at a banquet in Pyongyang earlier this year. (AFP)

A high-level delegation from South Korea will brief the North Atlantic Council about North Korea's troop deployment to Russia on Monday, NATO said on Sunday, after the US expressed grave concern over the possible use of the troops against Ukraine.

"Ambassadors from NATO's Indo-Pacific partners – including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea – have been invited to attend," the military alliance added. The North Atlantic Council is NATO's main decision-making body.

Ukrainian military intelligence said on Thursday that about 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were already in Russia, and training was taking place on five military bases.

Speaking on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were in Russia. But he said it was Moscow's business how to implement a treaty with Pyongyang that includes a mutual defense clause to aid each other against external aggression.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.