Photo: depositphotos.
Arrest of a CIA agent in Cambodia
The FBI has detained CIA officer Asef Rahman, suspected of leaking classified intelligence on Israel’s military plans against Iran. According to TimeUkraineIsrael, citing Israel’s Channel 9, FBI agents captured Rahman in Cambodia, after which he was transferred to a US military base in Guam, where he is awaiting trial. The charges against him were filed in a federal court in Virginia last week and relate to “willful possession and transmission of national security information”.
Consequences of leaking secret plans
Rahman had a high level of access to top-secret data and, according to the US media, could have been responsible for the leak that caused the crisis between the US, Israel and Iran. An incident in October caused serious concern: detailed plans for an Israeli attack on Iranian targets using ballistic missiles were published on a pro-Iranian Telegram channel. The documents were then leaked to the X social network, allowing Iran to prepare for a possible defence and forcing Israel to adjust its plans at the last minute.
A Pentagon suspect and a tangled trail
At the end of October, the head of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations, Ariane Tabatabai, was suspected of organising the leak. Tabatabai, an Iranian-American, was previously accused of having close ties to the Iranian government. The evidence included massive amounts of emails and government correspondence, which provoked a resonance in the United States. However, the Pentagon later denied her involvement in the leak, leaving the matter open for further investigation.
A new round of tension in world politics
The high-profile case has become another stage in the growing tension in the international arena, where accidental or deliberate leaks can not only complicate relations between allies but also undermine global security.
