NBC News reported this week that the White House is investigating the leak of two highly classified documents. 

The network cited three unnamed officials who indicated that both documents are marked as being "Top Secret" and relate to a potential attack by Israel on Iran.

Tensions heightened in the Middle East

NBC News noted that many experts have expected such a move ever since Iran unleashed a ballistic missile barrage against Israel earlier this month.

That strike was apparently carried out in retaliation for Israel's killing of Hassan Nasrallah, who led Iran's Lebanon-based proxy terror group known as Hezbollah.

Israel also made waves this past summer when it assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, who previously served as head of the Palestinian terror group Hamas.

Haniyeh's killing came in Tehran as he attended the inauguration ceremony for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

U.S. "cannot predict" scale of an Israeli strike

One of the documents bears a heading that reads, "Israel: Air Force Continues Preparations for Strike on Iran and Conducts a Second Large-Force Employment Exercise 15-16 October 2024."

BREAKING: U.S. officials are investigating the apparent leak of two top-secret U.S. documents that show American spy agencies tracking possible Israeli preparations for conducting an attack on Iran, U.S. officials say. https://t.co/VoBWnD33dd

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 20, 2024

The second document was issued by the "National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency," which is primarily concerned with analyzing intelligence gleaned from satellite photos.

Its heading reads, "Israeli Defense Forces Continued Key Munitions Preparations and Covert UAV Activity Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran, 16 October 2024." The initials UAV stands for unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones.

The document's text declares, "We cannot definitively predict the scale and scope of a strike on Iran, and such a strike can occur with no further GEOINT warning."

Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to posting classified material online

It goes on to indicate that although Israel has dispersed medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM), they are thought to be for defensive purposes, stating, "We have not observed indications that Israel intends to use a nuclear weapon."

NBC News pointed out that news of the leaked documents comes seven months after a guilty plea was entered by former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira.

Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act

He admitted to posting classified material to the social media app Discord. His actions led the Pentagon to impose tighter controls on access to sensitive documents.