Pentagon leaks: US seeks to mend ties after claims it spied on key allies

The United States is attempting to mend fences with key allies after leaked Pentagon documents claimed Washington had been spying on friendly nations, including South Korea and Israel.

The US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, spoke to his South Korean counterpart on Tuesday, as officials in Seoul denied the possibility that the president’s office could have been the source of leaks over South Korean arms sales to the US.

The disclosure of the highly classified material represents Washington’s worst national security breach in many years and included details about Ukraine’s lack of ammunition and US intelligence collection methods used against Russia.

The unverified documents, including some apparently based on internal discussions among top South Korean security officials, claimed that Seoul was concerned that artillery shells bound for the US could eventually find their way to Ukraine.

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The possibility that South Korean weapons could be used by Ukraine would be deeply problematic for the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as it would violate the country’s long-standing policy – supported by a majority of voters – of not exporting weapons to countries at war.

On Tuesday, however, officials attempted to play down the significance of the Pentagon documents, whose authenticity has not been independently confirmed. Mr Yoon’s office said an initial investigation had concluded that there was “little chance” that internal discussions had been intercepted by US intelligence officials, the Yonhap news agency said.

Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea’s deputy national security adviser, claimed that the information reportedly gleaned from internal discussions was “untrue” and had been “altered”.

Some analysts suggest that the leaks of more than 100 highly classified US defence documents could just be the “tip of the iceberg,” warning that the US could expect more damage to its reputation and its relationships with allies.

One document, marked top secret from a CIA intel update on March 1st, says Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency was encouraging its officers to take part in protests against the Israeli government’s plans to weaken the independence of the judiciary. The Israeli government denied there had been any Mossad involvement in the demonstrations.

Another document, dated February 23rd and marked secret, outlined in detail how Ukraine’s Soviet-era S-300 air defence systems would be depleted by May 2nd at the current usage rate.

The chief of the Australian Defence Force, Gen Angus Campbell, described the alleged leaks as “potentially damaging”, and said their dissemination could undermine trust between allies. – Guardian