HEGSETH FIRES PENTAGON'S TOP WAR PLANNER AS IRAN STRIKES LOOM

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon's top planning officer, as President Donald Trump weighs new strikes against Iran, according to a defense official and another source familiar with the matter cited by CNN.

Sylvia served as director for strategy, plans and policy — known as the J5 — for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was abruptly dismissed for alleged “misconduct,” with officials claiming he is under investigation for allegedly leaking classified information.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell appeared to confirm the firing in a post on X on Thursday morning, writing that after an extensive Air Force Office of Special Investigations inquiry, the department took “necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information.” The post did not name Sylvia, and no details or evidence of wrongdoing were provided publicly.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations confirmed to CNN that it conducted an investigation into allegations of unauthorized disclosure by Sylvia, and a spokesman for Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed Sylvia's ouster. The Justice Department said it has ongoing investigations related to possible leaks of classified information, but did not confirm details specific to Sylvia.

The timing is striking. Two U.S. officials told CNN earlier in the week that U.S. forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch new, potentially major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from Trump. Whether Sylvia's dismissal is connected to any specific planned operation is unconfirmed. Sylvia is the latest in a long line of senior officers to leave the Pentagon under Hegseth, and his biography had been removed from the Joint Chiefs' website by Wednesday evening.