Members of Egypt’s military supreme council attend a meeting in this image taken from TV on Thursday.
Panetta said he didn't know specifics, but said it seemed likely that Mubarak would turn over powers to his vice president, Omar Suleiman. Panetta made the comments in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee as Egyptian state TV said the embattled president would speak to the nation Thursday night from his palace in Cairo.
Committee Chairman Mike Rogers of Michigan asked Panetta about news reports that Mubarak was poised to relinquish power.
"I got the same information you did, that there is a strong likelihood that Mubarak will step down this evening, which will be significant in terms of where the hopefully orderly transition in Egypt will take place," the CIA director said. Panetta did not say how the CIA reached that conclusion.
State TV said Mubarak will speak to the nation Thursday night from his palace in Cairo.
Egypt's military announced on national television that it had stepped in to "safeguard the country" and assured protesters that Mubarak will meet their demands. That was the strongest indication yet that the longtime leader had lost power.
Panetta said the CIA was following the developments "very closely."
He said if there is an orderly transition in Egypt that leads to free and fair elections, and includes elements of the opposition, "it could have a positive effect with regards to that area."
On the other hand, he said, it would not be good news "if this turns in another direction."
Earlier, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg told another congressional panel that the one constant amid the turmoil in the region was the United States' unwavering support for Israel.
In testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Steinberg also sought to quell talk of divisions within the administration over Egypt. He said that the U.S. has said publicly and privately that a peaceful and orderly transition to democracy must begin without delay.
President Barack Obama was monitoring developments aboard Air Force One en route to an event in Michigan. His spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters traveling with the president, "I am watching much of what you're watching. We're watching, I think, a very fluid situation. What we're looking for and what the president spoke about many days ago remains our priority: an orderly transition to a free and fair election."
Waiting to see which way the wind blows and how best he can benefit from it. Meanwhile, 'other interests' are trying to ensure that someone 'friendly' to them is put in power. They are totally predicable to the last.