Russia provided information about U.S. assets during ongoing joint U.S. and Israeli military operations in Iran. Multiple sources including a senior U.S. official with direct knowledge told CBS News on Friday that Russia provided intelligence to Iran regarding U.S. positions in the Middle East. This assistance marked the first known indication that Russia indirectly aided Iran in the conflict.
The Washington Post first reported the intelligence aid from Russia. Officials described the sharing as a new development in the campaign that the Trump administration called Operation Epic Fury.
White House Officials Report Iranian Setbacks
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told reporters that the Iranian regime faced heavy losses. She said the regime suffered major damage from U.S. and Israeli strikes.“
The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed,” Anna Kelly stated. “Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight.”
Furthermore, Anna Kelly added that the operation met or surpassed all its goals. She noted that the United States continued to dominate the battlefield.
Defense Secretary Addresses Intelligence Concerns
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the reports in an exclusive interview for 60 Minutes with CBS News correspondent Major Garrett. He assured the public that U.S. leaders monitored all communications.“
The American people can rest assured their commander-in-chief is well aware of who’s talking to who,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “And anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.”
In addition, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth downplayed any threat from the intelligence sharing. He stated that U.S. forces focused on putting adversaries in danger instead.“
No one’s putting us in danger,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “We’re putting the other guys in danger, and that’s our job. So we’re not concerned about that. We mitigate it as we need to. Our commanders factor all of this. But the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they’re gonna live.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared on Fox News and declined to discuss the intelligence reports. She later clarified her remarks to reporters.
