BBC News Briefing

21 October, 2024

Matt Murphy

Hello. Today we are looking at a leak of classified US intelligence, which includes an American assessment of Israel's plans to attack Iran. Frank Gardner examines whether the embarrassing leak is genuine. Sarah Rainsford reports from Moldova, where the BBC has witnessed evidence of vote buying in the country's landmark EU referendum. And in Japan we look at the trend of foreign TikTokers buying up abandoned homes called akiyas.

GET UP TO SPEED

Five new civil lawsuits have been filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs in a federal court in New York. Two men and three women accused the hip-hop mogul of sexually assaulting them at parties.

South Korea has demanded the "immediate withdrawal" of North Korean troops from Russia, who Seoul says are being trained to fight in Ukraine.

India and China have agreed to de-escalate tensions along a disputed Himalayan border which has seen deadly hand-to-hand clashes in recent years.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Leaked US files hint at Israeli plans to strike Iran

The wreckage of a missile in southern Israel, one of 180 that Iran launched at it on 1 October. Credit: EPA

US investigators are trying to find out how a pair of highly classified intelligence documents were leaked online. The files, which were uploaded to the messaging app Telegram on Friday, appear to reveal details of Israeli Air Force plans for missile strikes on Iran.

Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent

What do the documents tell us?

What features prominently is the mention of two Air Launched Ballistic Missile (ABLM) systems: Golden Horizon and Rocks. The significance of this is that it would indicate the Israeli Air Force is planning to carry out a similar but greatly expanded version of its April attack on an Iranian radar site near Isfahan. By launching these weapons from long range, Israel avoids the need to fly warplanes over certain countries in the region like Jordan.

Are the documents genuine?

Almost certainly, yes. Military analysts say the phrasing used in the headings looks credible and is consistent with similar classified documents revealed in the past. Headed "Top Secret", they include the acronym "FGI", standing for "Foreign Government Intelligence". The documents appear to have been circulated to intelligence agencies in the Five Eyes alliance, the five Western nations that regularly share intelligence: The US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Were they leaked on purpose?

Possibly, yes, by someone who wanted to derail Israel’s plans. Iran has a large and sophisticated cyber warfare capability so the possibility of a hostile hack is also being investigated. These documents, if genuine, show that despite the close defence relationship between the US and Israel, Washington still spies on its ally in case it is not being given the full picture.

In Washington: President Joe Biden has said he is "deeply concerned" by the leak, as House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to probe how the documents were made public.

Analysis: Israel's military planners appear to be debating not just when to hit Iran, but how hard. Frank Gardner examines how it may respond to Tehran's attacks earlier this month.

In Lebanon: Our reporter Joel Gunter has visited the suburbs of southern Beirut, a majority Shia area which has born the brunt of Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese capital.

AT THE SCENE

Chisinau, Moldova

BBC finds evidence of vote-buying in key Moldova polls

The EU accused Russia of interfering in Moldova's referendum on Suday. Credit: Getty Images

The BBC has stumbled upon evidence of vote buying at a polling station in Moldova during Sunday's EU referendum. The country voted by the thinnest of margins to back a constitutional amendment committing it to joining the bloc. But President Maia Sandu - who failed to win re-election outright in a simultaneous election - accused Moldova’s "enemies" of trying to buy votes. EU spokesperson Peter Stano said the poll had taken place "under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies".

Sarah Rainsford, BBC Eastern Europe correspondent

At a polling station for residents of the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria a BBC producer heard a woman who had just dropped her ballot in the transparent box ask an election monitor where she would get paid.

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When the BBC asked directly whether she had been offered cash to vote, she admitted it without qualms. She was angry that a man who had sent her to the polling station was no longer answering her calls. “He tricked me!” she said, refusing to say which way she had been asked to vote.

Watch the encounter here

The latest: 50.46% of Moldovans voted to back Sunday's referendum, but President Sandu faces a difficult task after she failed to win re-election outright and faces a second round next month.

Analysis: Moldova and Georgia both face historic votes, as they ponder whether to join the European Union and turn away from the influence of Russia.

Questions Answered: How Moldovan officials have been trying to find evidence of Russian meddling in their political system ahead of a few crucial months for their pro-EU government.

THE BIG PICTURE

Putin cautious about a second Trump term

Russian President Vladimir Putin states into space. A blue banner including white stars outlines the image.

President Vladimir Putin has reason to be cautious about a second Trump term. Credit: BBC

Eight years after many Russian politicians reacted with excitement to the election of Donald Trump, officials in Moscow are more cautious about the prospect of a second term, our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg writes. But there is one outcome to the election that Vladimir Putin may welcome - an America consumed by post-election chaos, confusion and confrontation.

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