The original Wikileaks US State Department cable dump a few years ago was illuminating at best, and embarrassing at worst. But a new batch of cable leaks is set to be released, this time from Al Jazeera (working with the Guardian), and it's set to be a whole lot bigger. Documents from intelligence agencies like the CIA, Britain's Mi6, Russia's FSB, and Israel's Mossad are all included.
It's unclear for now what exact secrets the documents might hold, but they are reportedly from South Africa's State Security Agency (SSA), and include assessments of Iran's nuclear program, a plot to assassinate an African Union leader, and British attempts to recruit spies in North Korea.
But it's not all cloak-and-dagger spycraft, as Al Jazeera notes:
One set of cables from the Algerian Embassy in South Africa relates to a more practical concern. It demands that "no parking" signs are placed in the street outside. The cable notes that the British and US embassies enjoy this privilege, and argues that it should be extended to Algeria as well.
Al Jazeera will be going through all the documents, redacting some information and completely withholding more if it deems it necessary.
But we're about to learn things that we were never meant to hear about.
Photo credit: Getty Images