Palestinians check a destroyed house after Israeli attacks in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, Oct. 19, 2024. The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,519, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday. (Photo: Xinhua)

As the situation in the Middle East continues to escalate, the US is reportedly investigating a leak of highly classified intelligence about Israel's plans for retaliation against Iran, which also suggested that Israel has nuclear weapons.

Observers noted on Sunday that the leak may bring more uncertainties to the regional situation and could potentially cast a shadow over US-Israel relations.

According to CNN on Saturday, the leaked documents are "marked top secret" and describe "preparations Israel appears to be making for a strike against Iran." The leak is "deeply concerning," a US official told CNN.

The leak comes at "an extremely sensitive moment in US-Israeli relations and is bound to anger the Israelis," CNN's report said, adding that "One of the documents also suggests something that Israel has always declined to confirm publicly: that the country has nuclear weapons. The document says the US has not seen any indications that Israel plans to use a nuclear weapon against Iran."

Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and retired CIA officer, said that depending on how this was leaked, trust between the US and Israel could be eroded, CNN reported.

Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the leak may cast a shadow over US-Israel relations.

The reported intelligence leak came as conflict continues in the Middle East.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, at least 73 Palestinians were killed on Saturday by Israeli bombing in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said.

Israel's attacks also continued in Lebanon. BBC said Israel carried out at least a dozen air strikes on Beirut on Saturday. Huge plumes of smoke were seen rising over the city's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah's main base is located.

The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel was widely viewed as an opportunity for Israel to declare victory and wind down the war in the Gaza Strip, but Chinese experts indicated that it would become "extremely difficult" for negotiations between the two sides, warning of potentially escalating hostilities in the region.