Israel changes retaliatory measures against Iran after US intelligence leak

Western intelligence sources revealed on Thursday that Israel has changed its plan and postponed its retaliation for Iran's mass ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1.
“Israel has postponed its retaliatory strike against Iran because of potentially sensitive military information leaks from the United States last week,” The Times reported Thursday.
Last Friday, a pro-Iran Telegram channel published two top-secret documents detailing US intelligence surveillance of Israeli preparations for an attack on Iran, including the use of satellites to spy on operations at Israeli Air Force bases .
The leak revealed Israel's advanced plans to respond to a salvo of nearly 200 Iranian ballistic missiles fired at the country earlier this month.
The Times quoted an intelligence source as saying that Israel would be forced to develop an alternative plan that requires detailed war plans before an order is issued.
“The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components,” the source said. “There will be retribution, but it took longer than it should have.”
The original leaked documents reveal that the Israeli Air Force is planning a similar but greatly expanded version of its ABLM attack on an Iranian radar site near Isfahan in April.
Firing these weapons from long range and far from Iran's borders would avoid the need for Israeli warplanes to fly over certain countries in the region.
During Iran's attack on October 1, Tehran managed to at least partially hit the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, satellite images show, although the vast majority of the missiles were shot down.
In April, Israel responded to an earlier attack by Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones by destroying a radar station outside Isfahan.
In anticipation of the Israeli attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi toured the Middle East, visiting countries such as Jordan, Iraq and the Gulf states to persuade them to close their airspace to Israeli aircraft.
Iraqi sources revealed that Iranian officials had informed leaders of Iraq's ruling Shiite coalition that Israel would retaliate to the October 1 attacks within a week.
The sources said the new assessments were made after reviewing the results of Araghchi's talks in the region. But they said the Iranians would not stop their mediation efforts despite the difficulties.
Meanwhile, concerns about a wider conflict in the Middle East have led international airlines to suspend flights to Iran.
Qatar Airways announced on Thursday that it has temporarily suspended two regional routes.
“Due to the current situation in the Middle East region, Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to and from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon until further notice,” it said in a travel warning.
Turkish airlines Turkish Airlines and Pegasus have suspended their flights to Iran until November 1st.
The Lufthansa Group announced that its flights to Tehran will be suspended until January 31, 2025.
Meanwhile, in Tehran, Iranian Revolutionary Guard chief Hossein Salami warned that an advanced US missile defense system recently deployed in Israel would not be able to deter future attacks from Tehran, according to Tasnim.
“Don’t rely on THAAD, they have limited capabilities,” Salami was quoted as saying.
Speaking at the Kermanshah Province National Congress, Salami particularly criticized Israel, saying that the regime could collapse immediately if it made unwise decisions.
Salami said Israel is gradually digging a cemetery where it will be buried.