CIA analyst who admitted leaking docs about Israel strike on Iran gets 37 months in prison

An ex-CIA analyst was sentenced to more than three years in prison Wednesday for leaking top-secret documents about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran last year. 

Asif William Rahman, 34, had pleaded guilty in January to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information after he was arrested for absconding with records from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency last October that indicated Israel was planning to launch airstrikes in response to a massive Iranian missile attack. 

Rahman, who had been a CIA employee since 2016 and had access to top secret documents, leaked the stolen information on social media platforms — forcing Israel to delay its attack. 

He was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison by US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, which is less than the government had demanded. 

“Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies,” US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert said in a statement.

“The urgency with which Mr. Rahman was identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted is a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to justice.

“This case should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.”

Rahman was working in the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 17, 2024, when he sneaked the documents out in his backpack, brought them to his home, photographed them and then transmitted them to other individuals, before destroying evidence of his actions, according to the Justice Department. 

The top-secret documents appeared on the “Middle East Spectator” Telegram channel the following day and “appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification ranking,” prosecutors said. 

The documents laid out intelligence gathered from satellite images of an Israeli base taken on Oct. 15 and 16.

The breach forced Israeli officials to postpone their attack until Oct. 26.

Rahman “repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information” up until his arrest in November of 2024, according to the DOJ.  

In the spring of 2024, when he was working in Virginia as a CIA analyst, he disclosed a batch of five secret and top-secret documents, making copies and giving them to people who weren’t allowed to see them. And in the fall of 2024, he leaked another 10 classified documents.

“I fully accept responsibility for my conduct last year,” Rahman said in court Wednesday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “There was no excuse for my actions.”

Rahman’s attorneys blamed his actions on “family-related grief” and traumatic assignment in Iraq, compounded by Israel’s war against Hamas. 

 

Egypt warns the "March to Gaza" convoy .."No unauthorized border crossings"

 

🚨BREAKING:

Egypt has announced it won’t allow the “March to Gaza” to reach the Rafah border.

Imagine being so stupid that you’re marching hundreds of miles to protest the Israeli blockade over Gaza, just to find out that Egypt controls the border🤡 pic.twitter.com/9yKgGjp9Ma

— The Uri (@uricohenisrael) June 11, 2025

EL AL Faces $169M Class Action Lawsuit over Price Gouging Allegations during War

 

DIN: El Al was the only airline flying to Israel for many months during the period and  after October 7. Without El Al, it would have been impossible to fly between the US and Israel. If anything, El Al is owed appreciation and gratitude, not the law suit.

EL AL Israel Airlines is facing a potentially devastating class action lawsuit accusing the national carrier of exploiting wartime conditions to impose inflated ticket prices on Israeli and international passengers during the Iron Swords war. The lawsuit seeks a staggering 600 million shekels — roughly $169 million — in damages, alleging the airline abused its near-monopoly position after foreign carriers suspended flights to and from Israel following the Hamas massacre of October 7.

Israel Hayom reports that, filed in an Israeli court by attorney Ilan Vardnikov of the Pearl Cohen law firm, along with Dr. Tal Rotman and Adi Tzitron, the suit is supported by economic testimony from Prof. David Gilo, the former director of Israel’s Competition Authority. According to the petition, EL AL’s net profit surged to $554 million in 2024 — or $771 million when accounting for adjustments — compared to just $113 million in 2023. It was the airline’s most profitable year in over 15 years.

“EL AL was not satisfied with the enormous profits it generated legally during the state of emergency and war,” the suit argues. “It deliberately and knowingly chose to abuse its monopolistic power and harm consumers by inflating prices to unprecedented levels.”

Israel ‘Fully Ready’ for Strike on Iran; US Evacuates Embassies in Arab Countries

 

U.S. officials say they have been informed that Israel is now “fully ready” to launch a military operation against Iran, prompting precautionary measures across the region, including the evacuation of American diplomatic personnel.

According to CBS News, the assessment was a key factor in the State Department’s decision to order the departure of non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil. Dependents of American military personnel are also being withdrawn from parts of the Middle East amid heightened concerns over possible Iranian retaliation.

Officials warned that if Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear facilities, Tehran may respond by targeting U.S. military bases and assets across the region.

*BREAKING:* Iranian media report that, for the first time, Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems have been activated in Iran. They appear to have been deployed around nuclear facilities involved in uranium enrichment.

Here’s what just went down — and it’s very interesting:

1. UK Maritime Trade issued a rare warning about rising tensions in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, citing potential military escalation that could directly affect shipping.

2. The US Embassy in Iraq is…

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 11, 2025

NYS Regents Wants 10th Graders to "Demonize Zionism"

 

A New York State 10th grade Regents exam study guide demonizes Zionism—the belief that Jews have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland—as “extreme nationalism.”

Yet it does not label as extreme the anti-Zionist ideology that inspired the October 7th… pic.twitter.com/r2r2OTZyQW

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) June 10, 2025

How Israelis welcome a close ally

 

This is how the Israelis welcome their closest ally in the world 👇

Welcome President @JMilei 🇦🇷❤️🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/wa3sOdwNZT

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) June 10, 2025

Israel’s brilliant handling of the ‘flotilla’ affair

By

Ruthie Blum

It was supposed to be a grand act of defiance—another headline-grabbing spectacle in the ongoing campaign to vilify the Jewish state. Instead, it became a floating punchline.

The so-called “freedom flotilla” set sail earlier this month from Sicily, bound for Gaza, carrying meager amounts of food and other forms of aid. Aboard the lone boat, the British-flagged schooner Madleen, was a small cast of sanctimonious “humanitarians.”

Chief among them was Swedish climate crusader Greta Thunberg. Joining her was French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and another 10 or so activists trying to make themselves relevant.

What they billed as a noble mission was actually a farce. Wasting no time in exposing the charade, the Israeli Foreign Ministry mockingly christened the vessel the “selfie yacht.”

And with good reason.

Qatar: the real perpetrator of the October 7th Massacre Written by a Muslim

How did Hamas do it on October 7?

This time, I don't mean to ask how they had so little humanity as to butcher over 1,200 innocents in Israel in a single day of horrors, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Nor do I refer to the level of brainwashing or innate evil necessary to kill 370 young people at a dance party, to rape and genitally mutilate screaming women and girls, or to drag 250 hostages - including 12 Americans - back to Gaza.

No, at present, I am speaking of practical and, ultimately, financial capability: how was Hamas able to afford the trucks, the motorcycles, the assault weapons and grenades, the paragliders and massive tunnel networks that enabled their terroristic invasion on that black day?

To a large extent, the answer can be found at a single address: Qatar, the absolute monarchy on the Arabian peninsula that is the beating heart of modern terrorism financing.

In rare criticism, Washington calls on nations to reverse sanctions imposed on Ben Gvir and Smotrich.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday condemned the decision by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway to impose sanctions on Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, urging those countries to reverse course.

“The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Rubio said.

“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is,” he added.

“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,” clarified Rubio.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked Rubio for his statement.

“Thank you Secretary of State, a clear moral voice, a voice of a true friend. Your words should be the compass to the international community, to all those preaching Israel, ignoring realities,” said Sa’ar.

Rubio’s statement came after the governments of the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Norway officially announced that they will impose sanctions on Ben Gvir and Smotrich, accusing them of incitement to violence against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.

The UK Foreign Office stated that the decision was made as part of a wider move to address what it described as "extremist settler violence" and the undermining of a future Palestinian state.

According to the British government, Ben Gvir and Smotrich are being sanctioned in their personal capacities, with both now subject to asset freezes, travel bans, and disqualification from serving as company directors in the UK.

Sa’ar lashed out at the UK following its announcement.

"The British Mandate for the land of Israel ended in May 1948. It will never return," the Foreign Minister declared in a post on social media.

He affirmed that Israel is a "sovereign, independent, and proud state that is fighting a historic battle for its existence against a regional axis working to destroy it. Israel will emerge from this battle with the upper hand, first and foremost, because it has no other choice."

He attacked the decisions taken against Ministers in the Israeli government, "which is collectively responsible for its decisions," as "outrageous and unacceptable."

Sa'ar noted that "early next week, we will hold a government meeting in which we will decide on our response to the decisions taken against the Ministers."

Harvard appoints Shaul Magid an admirer of Satmar/ Neturei Karta Ideology as professor of modern Jewish studies

 Facing pressure from the Trump administration in part over its handling of antisemitism, Harvard University last week announced the appointment of Shaul Magid as professor of modern Jewish studies in residence at Harvard Divinity School.

The role is new for the school, a nondenominational center for the study of religion. Magid had been a visiting professor there for two years while on leave from Dartmouth College.

While Magid is a highly regarded scholar of Jewish thought, his appointment to the new role has raised hackles among some Jewish observers for a critical stance he calls “counter-Zionism.” In his 2023 book, “The Necessity of Exile,” he argues that while Zionism was once a necessary ideology, Israel has since become a state of Jewish domination that stands in the way of equality for all of its citizens.

Prominent voices that have criticized Harvard’s handling of alleged antisemitism said they regretted that Harvard Divinity School was elevating a “counter-Zionist” rather than adding someone who supports Israel to the faculty.