Report: Israel Delays Iran Attack After Plans Leaked

Israel was forced to delay plans for a retaliatory strike against Iran after details of the pending attack were leaked, British newspaper The Times reported Thursday.

It was reported last week that Israel's plans to strike Iran were leaked either intentionally from an internal source or via a hack from a foreign entity. The top-secret documents were published on a pro-Iranian Telegram channel Friday and showed a U.S. assessment of Israel's presumed response.

The documents contained satellite imagery and other intelligence such as the types of aircraft and munitions to be used in a potential attack.

Israel has had to rethink its strategy as the leak likely aided Iran in being able to predict a consistent Israeli strategy and has forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli Defense Force to develop alternative plans.

"The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components," an intelligence source with knowledge of Israeli deliberations told The Times. "There will be a retaliation, but it has taken longer than it was supposed to take."

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, spoke to pilots and air crew Wednesday and told them, "After we strike in Iran, everyone will understand what you did in the preparation and training process."

The Pentagon has denied allegations that the leak was made by Ariane Tabatabai, chief of staff to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations, who has Iranian heritage.

The U.S. has tried to walk a tightrope of diplomacy by publicly announcing support for Israel while also seeking to temper any retaliatory measures against Iran for fear of igniting a wider regional conflict. The Times reported that Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Netanyahu to scale back any plans for a wider assault.

"We stand with Israel, and we'll always stand with Israel in its defense," Blinken said after his conversation with Netanyahu. "It's also very important that Israel responds in ways that do not create greater escalation and do not risk spreading the conflict."