Is Israel spying on US officials? Pentagon raises threat level to critical

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has reportedly raised the counterintelligence threat posed by Israel to its highest internal designation, amid growing friction between Washington and Jerusalem over the wars in Iran and Lebanon.

According to NBC News, citing current and former US officials, the Pentagon’s Defence Intelligence Agency recently elevated Israel’s threat rating from “high” to “critical” following concerns that Israeli intelligence agencies were seeking information about sensitive US deliberations on the regional conflicts.

The assessment, described by officials as a seven-page document, reportedly details a series of incidents that heightened concerns inside the US defence establishment. Officials told NBC that Israeli intelligence activities were viewed as going beyond the level of espionage typically expected between allied nations.

The reported move comes despite the exceptionally close military cooperation between the two countries during the conflict with Iran, with intelligence sharing continuing on a daily basis.

The New York Times separately reported that recent US intelligence assessments raised concerns that Israeli agencies may have intensified efforts to monitor senior American officials involved in negotiations with Iran.

According to the newspaper, officials including President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby and senior Middle East official Michael DiMino were viewed as potential targets of intelligence-gathering efforts.

The New York Times also reported that a Defense Intelligence Agency review raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat level to “critical” and outlined several alleged espionage incidents involving US personnel and facilities.

Among the concerns cited by the newspaper were cases in which American defence personnel in Israel allegedly discovered software capable of monitoring communications on their devices. The report also referenced earlier incidents that US intelligence officials viewed as evidence of aggressive Israeli intelligence collection.

One senior US official quoted by The New York Times described the intensity of Israeli intelligence activity during the current administration as “unhinged.”

Both the White House and Israel strongly rejected the allegations.

A White House official told NBC News: “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”

Israel’s embassy in Washington issued an equally forceful denial.

“Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials,” an embassy spokesperson told NBC. “Israel’s intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies.”

The allegations emerge against the backdrop of increasing tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the future direction of the Middle East conflicts.

While Trump has pursued negotiations aimed at reaching a broader agreement with Iran, Netanyahu has reportedly advocated a harder military approach, including additional strikes against Iranian targets and continued pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The disagreements became public earlier this week when Trump acknowledged a heated phone conversation with Netanyahu over Lebanon, while insisting that the two leaders still work well together.

Despite the reported threat-level increase, US officials told NBC there has been no indication that intelligence-sharing arrangements between the two countries have been curtailed.

The allegations also revive memories of one of the most damaging espionage disputes between the allies — the Jonathan Pollard affair. Pollard, a US Navy intelligence analyst, was arrested in 1985 for spying on behalf of Israel and later served 30 years in prison.

For now, the reported reassessment appears aimed primarily at increasing security precautions for American personnel interacting with Israeli counterparts. But the reports suggest that as Washington and Jerusalem diverge over Iran and Lebanon, intelligence concerns are becoming another source of strain in one of America’s closest strategic partnerships.