Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters as President Donald Trump listens at the Mar-a-Lago club. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

Pro-government Iranian demonstrators wave flags from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Donald Trump.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A protester holds a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest against U.S. and Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, on Feb. 28, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

The FBI confirmed the investigation for the first time on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) and said that it is “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.”
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) that it is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday (October 23, 2024) that the Joe Biden administration is still not certain if the classified information was leaked or hacked but that officials don’t have any indication at this point of “additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain.”

At the Pentagon, Major General Pat Ryder said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with his counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, about the release of documents. But Mr. Ryder, who is press secretary, said he could provide no details or say when the conversation took place.

The Associated Press reported on Saturday (October 19, 2024) that U.S. officials were investigating the release. The FBI confirmed the investigation for the first time on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) and said in a statement that it is “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.” It did not comment further.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and note that Israel is still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on October 1, 2024. They were shareable within the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance comprised of the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Marked top secret, the documents first appeared online Friday (October 18, 2024) on the Telegram messaging app and quickly spread among Telegram channels popular with Iranians.

Mr. Ryder said he could provide no details about the probe, including who in the department is working with the FBI, which is leading the investigation.

“The investigation is in its first few days, so it’s important to let that investigation run its course,” he said, adding that the department takes the safeguarding of sensitive information very seriously and will continue to do so.

On the streets of Tehran, a small crowd celebrated Iran’s missile attack on Israel while others are worried about the consequences of the Islamic Republic’s boldest move yet in a year of escalating Middle East conflict.

Local media carried footage of what Iran said were 200 missiles as they were fired towards Israel on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) evening, while state television played upbeat music over the images and showed crowds of a few hundred people celebrating the attacks in the capital and other cities across the country.

Also read: ‘Sickening cycle of escalation’ in Mideast must stop, says UN chief Antonio Guterres

They carried Iranian, Palestinian and Lebanese flags, as well as the flag of Iran-allied Hezbollah, alongside portraits of its chief Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli air strike last week, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated in Tehran in July.

The crowd chanted slogans of “Down with America” and “Down with Israel”, while some set fire to Israeli flags.

At a gathering in central Tehran on Wednesday, 22-year-old university student Fatemeh Marzban said she felt “satisfied” with Iran’s retaliation to a series of Israeli blows.

“Last night’s operation made many people on the resistance front happy,” Marzban said, as she thanked Iran’s military for the attack.

But Israel’s vow to avenge the missile attacks, backed by similar threats from the United States, has unsettled some people who fear the country stumbling into a full-blown war through tit-for-tat reactions.

“I am really worried because if Israel wants to take retaliatory measures, it will lead to an expansion of the war,” said Mansour Firouzabadi, a 45-year-old nurse in Tehran. “Everyone is worried about it.”

‘Bolder move’

Analysts see the Iranian missile strike as a consequence of a string of setbacks suffered by Tehran and its strategy of building up allies across the region in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria and the Palestinian territories.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah chief Nasrallah was killed alongside Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

Ali Vaez from the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think-tank, said Iran took “a calculated risk in April” when it fired missiles and drones at Israel, most of which were intercepted, in its first ever direct attack.

The barrage was ordered after an Israeli air strike on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus which killed two Iranian generals.

“Now, with an even bolder move [on Tuesday], the regime’s actions reflect the deepening challenges it faces as its most critical partners have been weakened on multiple fronts,” Vaez said.

“Failing to respond might have further eroded its credibility with these allies, giving the impression that Tehran was content to remain passive”, he said.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is due to deliver a rare speech at Friday (October 4, 2024) prayers this week, according to local media, during which he is widely expected to set the tone for the way forward.

The last time Mr. Khamenei led Friday prayers was after Iran launched ballistic missiles on air bases of US forces in Iraq following the 2020 killing of revered Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Speaking at a gathering of Iranian students on Wednesday (October 2, 2024), Mr. Khamenei said he was still in mourning for Nasrallah and that his death was “not a small matter.”

‘Far from over’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran had refrained from responding to Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran during his inauguration in July, fearing that it could derail US-backed efforts for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

But the promises from the United States and its allies of a “ceasefire in exchange for Iran’s non-reaction to Haniyeh’s killing were completely false,” he said on Sunday.

Israel’s military campaign continues there even as it steps up its war with Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.

Following Tuesday’s attack by Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Tehran “made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,” while the United States warned of “severe consequences”.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett called on Wednesday for a decisive strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps meanwhile threatened a “crushing attack” if Israel responded, and warned against any direct military intervention in support of Israel.

Vaez from the International Crisis Group says while Tehran has signalled “the chapter is closed … the reality is far from that.”

“The final word on this conflict lies, not with Iran, but with Israel and the United States,” he said.

“And if the latest developments in Gaza, Lebanon, and even Yemen’s Huthi movements are any indication, this confrontation is far from over.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

UN chief Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for an end to the “sickening cycle of escalation” in the Middle East, while specifically condemning Iran over its latest missile attack after facing harsh criticism from Israel.

The secretary-general was speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, called after Iran on Tuesday launched a massive missile barrage at Israel, which has ramped up its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel-Iran war LIVE

“It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff,” the UN chief said.

“This deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop.”

Israel’s pledge to respond to the Iranian missile attack has raised fears of a spiraling, region-wide war, sending diplomats scrambling for options to de-escalate the situation.

Iran in turn said it would launch an even bigger attack if Israel makes good on its pledge.

Israel shifted its focus last month from the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the October 7 attacks by Iran-backed Hamas, to securing its northern border with Lebanon.

As the Security Council met, Israeli forces were battling Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, following “targeted ground raids” across the border by Israel on Tuesday.

More than 1,000 people have died since last week, in fighting that has included Israeli strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon reiterated his country’s plans to retaliate against the Iranian strike, saying “what happened last night in Israel was not a defensive action,” but rather a “calculated attack.”

Iranian envoy Amir Saeid Iravani meanwhile said “Iran’s response was necessary to restore balance and deterrence.”

The United States said it supports an Israeli retaliatory response on Iran, though President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he would not support a strike by Israel aimed at wiping out Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Persona non grata

Earlier Wednesday, Israel declared Guterres “persona non grata” for failing to specifically condemn Iran’s missile attack when he condemned on Tuesday the “broadening conflict in the Middle East.”

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.

The United States pushed back on Israel’s move, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller saying it wasn’t a “productive step.”

Guterres addressed the diplomatic dust-up at the Security Council, saying “as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed, I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel.”

The UN chief also reiterated his call for a ceasefire.

“Since last October, Israel has conducted in Gaza the most deadly and destructive military campaign in my years as secretary-general,” he said.

“Simultaneously armed Palestinian groups have also used violence. Hamas has continued to launch rockets,” he said, adding Iran’s missile attack did “nothing to support the cause of the Palestinian people or reduce their suffering.”

 The Lufthansa group said that it had also decided to “avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including 2 October”, adding that “flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including 31 October”. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region.

The moves come as Israel launched strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack “imminently” against Israel.

Also Read: Iran fires missiles at Israel live updates October 2, 2024

KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv “given the situation in the region”, spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP.

The Dutch airline had already announced in August 2024 that it was suspending flights to Israel until October 26, 2024.

Also on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30, 2024. Lufthansa group flights to Tel Aviv will be cancelled until October 31, 2024 while trips to Tehran remain cancelled until October 14, 2024.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” the group said.

Later on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), the Lufthansa group said that it had also decided to “avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including 2 October”, adding that “flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including 31 October”.

The Lufthansa group — whose carriers also include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines — has repeatedly modified its flight schedule in recent months due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, as have other airlines.

Following the example of its parent company, Swiss said the extension of its flight suspensions was “intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews”.

The Israeli army said it had launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds.

Meanwhile, a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the United States has indications that Iran was preparing to launch a missile attack against Israel “imminently”.

“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” the official said, warning that such an action would “carry severe consequences for Iran”.

The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to have been defeated and ineffective, US President Joe Biden said, hours after Tehran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel.

The Israeli military reportedly said there were no news of injuries from the attack. 

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr. Biden said, “At my direction, the United States military actively supported the defence of Israel. We are still assessing the impact but, based on what we know, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective and this is a testament to Israeli military capability… (It is) also a testament to intensive planning (between) the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against a brazen attack.” “Make no mistake, the United States is fully supportive of Israel. And I just spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the situation room, meeting with my whole national security team… The national security team, as I said, is in constant contact with Israeli officials and counterparts…,” he added. 

Mr. Biden directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defence against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles targeting the country, the White House said. 

AP

“The Israeli military is planning to attack alleged Hezbollah facilities in southern Beirut.”