US general fired by Hegseth confesses to leaking classified information about Iran - report

Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon's top military planner, has been fired for leaking classified information about Iran and Ukraine to media outlets, according to a report from the Jerusalem Post. The general confessed to the misconduct on camera after failing four polygraph tests. He was accused of making unauthorized disclosures to the media, and he provided his personal phone for a forensics examination.

Sylvia started leaking information as early as June 2025 and continued via a secure messaging app, Signal. He also held a secretive in-person meeting at a diner in Arlington, Virginia, where he orally shared information on US assistance to Ukraine without coordinating with Pentagon officials or verifying the information beforehand.

The Pentagon has zero tolerance for intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information and has referred the matter to the Justice Department for potential legal action.

Brief written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.