ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
All indications are that Israel is preparing for a possible strike on Iran. This comes in the wake of Iran's missile barrage against Israel on October 1. But now leaked U.S. documents have appeared online, documents that apparently describe Israel's military preparations for the expected strike. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman joins us with more. Hello, Tom.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Rob.
SCHMITZ: So Tom, what do we know about these documents and this apparent leak?
BOWMAN: Well, Rob, first of all, NPR has confirmed they are legitimate, two top-secret documents that showed up on Telegram and - from something or someone called Middle East Spectator, which has links to Iran. And this spectator says the documents came from someone within the U.S. intelligence community. Now, one document kind of says it all at the top. It - quote, "Israeli Air Force continues preparations for strikes on Iran." The document says satellite photos and intercepted conversations by the U.S. that Israel is preparing dozens of air-launched missiles and aircraft, conducting training exercises in recent days with what it calls large forces, also using covert drone operations. And it mentions three Israeli airfields, also talks about combat search-and-rescue aircraft, surveillance aircraft, refueling aircraft, which would be key if you're doing a long-range operation, of course - also, F-15s. And it says this large force, by the way, is similar to one that attacked the Houthis in Yemen last month - so pretty detailed.
SCHMITZ: Wow.
BOWMAN: And it's been clear, as we all know for some time, that Israel is planning on attacking Iran in retaliation...
SCHMITZ: Right.
BOWMAN: ...For Iran's attack on Israel earlier this month. But we don't get really any detail on possible targets in Iran, although President Biden has urged Israel not to hit sites linked to Iran's nuclear program. People I talk with expect Israel to hit mostly military targets, but clearly, these documents indicate a large operation against Iran and maybe even more intense than what many have been anticipating.
SCHMITZ: This is a lot of interesting detail here. I mean, any sense of why these documents were leaked and what the bigger concern is?
BOWMAN: You know, no sense why they were leaked. Officials say, of course, we're looking into it, but no sense of who or why. Now, there's, of course, speculation. Maybe it was a warning to Iran that Israel will strike. Still others say maybe it was an attempt by the U.S. to disrupt any Israeli operation. Clearly, leaking top-secret documents is concerning, and they come from an intelligence organization few people are familiar with. You know, we all know CIA, NSA. This is the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, which maintains satellites and takes detailed pictures. But there are no pictures here in these leaked documents, at least nothing released so far. And again, a concern could be, well, is there anything else out there that someone is leaking?
One official I spoke with, by the way, says, you know, there's not a lot here really that's damaging or concerning, but the worry is it will alert people to what capabilities the U.S. has. There's also this note in the documents that some of the information contained came from signals intelligence, basically intercepting phone conversations. That's something incredibly sensitive because a target can change phone numbers, encrypt better. And of course, the other thing, it's just embarrassing that this comes out. You're spying on an ally. I don't think Israel would be stunned that the U.S. is keeping an eye on its operations. But again, it can be embarrassing.
SCHMITZ: Finally, Tom, this obviously comes against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and fears of a wider regional conflict. And as we said, there does seem to be a general consensus that Israel will strike Iran. What more do we know about that?
BOWMAN: You know, we don't know a lot. Again, the likely military targets could be the missile launch sites used to attack Israel, military headquarters, radar sites, maybe also targeting, you know, oil facilities. That's been mentioned as well, but mostly we're guessing and hearing about military targets.
SCHMITZ: That's NPR's Tom Bowman. Tom, thank you.
BOWMAN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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