The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to the highest possible level, “critical,” amid growing concern that Israeli intelligence efforts are targeting senior US officials, NBC News reported.
The move comes as tensions rise between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the direction of the wars in Iran and Lebanon.
According to two current US officials and one former US official cited by NBC News, the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency issued the new counterintelligence threat assessment in recent weeks.
The DIA reportedly posted an internal message raising Israel’s counterintelligence threat level to “critical.”
One current US official who viewed the message said the assessment reflects concern that Israel has the ability to conduct human espionage and technical intelligence collection at a critical level.
Concerns focus on US deliberations
Officials said the designation stems from Pentagon concerns that Israel is making a particular effort to surveil top US officials.
The aim, according to the officials, would be to gain insight into the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on conflicts in the Middle East.
One current official said the DIA assessment includes a seven-page document and a chart identifying specific incidents that increased US concern. The officials did not know whether one particular incident triggered the decision to raise the threat level.
Israel, White House deny report
Israel’s embassy in Washington strongly rejected the claims. “It is completely false that Israel spies on the US,” an embassy spokesperson said in a statement.
“Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials,” the spokesperson added. “Israel intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or politically motivated.”
The Pentagon declined to comment on the report.
A White House official also denied the story, saying, “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees US intelligence agencies including the DIA, did not respond to a request for comment.
Tensions grow over Iran and Lebanon
The heightened alert comes as Trump and Netanyahu have clashed over the war with Iran and Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
NBC News reported that the two leaders had a tense phone call this past week. Trump later acknowledged to reporters that he had called Netanyahu “crazy” during the conversation.
The dispute has raised questions over whether US and Israeli objectives in the Middle East are beginning to diverge significantly.
Trump seeks diplomacy, Netanyahu pushes strikes
Since a ceasefire took effect in early April, Trump has been pursuing a diplomatic deal with Iran to end the war launched by the US and Israel on February 28.
Israel has publicly expressed skepticism that Iran would comply with any negotiated agreement. Netanyahu has pushed for renewed bombing raids against Iran, according to Western officials.
He has also disagreed with Trump’s calls to scale back attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Current and former US officials, along with outside experts, said Israel is keenly interested in whether Trump will resume major combat operations against Iran or pursue a negotiated end to the conflict.
That question has become increasingly important as Washington and Tel Aviv debate the next phase of Middle East policy.
The officials said Israel’s recent intelligence efforts appear to go beyond what is typically expected between allies, though spying among allies and adversaries is common worldwide.
US officials expected to use extra caution
Current and former US officials said the most practical impact of the Pentagon’s assessment is likely to be greater caution by American officials traveling to Israel or meeting Israeli officials.
One current US official said the US already takes additional precautions in Israel. “They’re well-known to aggressively collect,” the official said.
Officials said there did not appear to be any impact on daily high-level intelligence sharing between the US and Israel, particularly intelligence connected to the war in Iran.
The United States, like other countries, maintains extensive counterintelligence efforts to detect and prevent espionage by foreign adversaries, allies and partners. These efforts are designed to protect state secrets and monitor attempts to recruit, pressure or coerce US officials.
Under US law, the FBI plays the leading role in counterintelligence, though other government agencies and the military are also involved.
Israel aggressive intelligence reputation
Current and former diplomats, former national security officials and experts said Israel has long had a reputation for aggressive intelligence collection, including against the United States.
US intelligence officials closely monitor the issue, according to experts and current and former officials.
Top US officials often take extra care when visiting Israel, sometimes using burner phones and computers and avoiding sensitive conversations in hotel rooms.
Emily Harding, vice president of the Defense and Security Department and director of the intelligence, national security and technology program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described Israel’s intelligence service as “hyper-aggressive.”
“They are exceedingly interested in what we are up to,” Harding said. Her comments reflect long-standing concerns among some US national security officials about Israeli intelligence practices.
Past spying cases strained relations
The report also recalled past espionage controversies between the two allies. In the 1980s, US Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard was convicted of selling suitcases of top-secret documents to Israel.
Pollard spent 30 years in prison, and the case caused a major rift between Washington and Tel Aviv. The US also spies on allies, as shown by leaks from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013.
Those leaks revealed that the US had eavesdropped on European leaders, including then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone, triggering anger in Berlin.
Trust risks rise at sensitive moment
The United States and Israel remain close allies with decades of cooperation between their intelligence services.
However, two additional former US officials said concerns about possible Israeli espionage at a moment of policy disagreement over Iran and Lebanon could undermine trust between the two governments.
For now, the reported DIA alert signals growing unease inside the Pentagon as Washington weighs diplomacy with Iran while Israel presses for a more forceful military approach.
