Is Israel spying on US officials? As differences between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Iran conflict continue to widen, the Pentagon has elevated concerns about Israeli intelligence activities, warning that senior US officials could be targets of heightened surveillance efforts.
According to a report, two current US officials and one former official revealed that the Pentagon's Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has recently raised Israel's counter-intelligence threat designation to 'critical', its highest internal assessment level.
"The US already takes extra precautions when visiting Israel," one current official told the American broadcaster, noting that Israeli intelligence agencies have long been viewed as particularly "aggressive collectors" of information.
Such precautions have reportedly included the use of burner phones, temporary computers and strict communication protocols, especially during high-level visits. Former diplomats, intelligence officials and security experts said senior American officials often avoid discussing sensitive matters in hotel rooms and other potentially vulnerable locations while in Israel.
The move reflected growing concern within sections of the US defence establishment that Israel is aggressively seeking information about the Trump administration's internal deliberations on conflicts across the Middle East.
The assessment was issued in recent weeks against the backdrop of mounting disagreements between Trump and Netanyahu over the future course of the war with Iran. Officials familiar with the matter told, DIA circulated an internal notice accompanied by a seven-page assessment document outlining concerns about Israel's intelligence-gathering capabilities.
According to one of the officials, the report concluded that Israel's capacity for both human espionage and technical intelligence collection should be regarded as operating at a "critical level". The document also reportedly details several incidents that contributed to the heightened concern, though officials said they were unaware of any single event that directly triggered the decision.
The practical implications of the assessment are expected to be felt most immediately by US personnel travelling to Israel or interacting with Israeli counterparts. Current and former officials said American officials are likely to adopt additional security precautions, although intelligence-sharing between the two countries remains unaffected.
Emily Harding, vice president of the Defence and Security Department at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, described Israel's intelligence apparatus as "hyper-aggressive".
"They are exceedingly interested in what we are up to," NBC News quoted Harding as saying.
Israel strongly denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington dismissed claims of spying on US officials as "completely false".
"Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials," the spokesperson said, adding that Israeli intelligence operations are directed at adversaries rather than allies.
A White House official also rejected the claims, describing the report as false and saying it was sourced from "individuals lacking knowledge of internal developments".
While intelligence gathering between allies is not uncommon, current and former US officials said they viewed the alleged Israeli activity as exceeding the normal scope of espionage typically tolerated among friendly nations.
The concerns emerge at a delicate moment in US-Israel relations. Since an April ceasefire, Trump has pursued diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a broader agreement with Iran, while Netanyahu has publicly questioned whether Tehran would honour any negotiated settlement. Israeli officials have continued to advocate for renewed military pressure on Iran and have reportedly clashed with Washington over operations involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The tensions between Trump and Netanyahu reportedly spilled into a heated phone conversation recently. The US President later acknowledged calling the Israeli leader 'crazy', fuelling speculation that the two allies may be increasingly divided over their strategic objectives in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, US news outlet Axios reported that President Donald Trump had a tense phone conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, during which he reportedly expressed anger over Israeli threats to renew air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs. According to the report, Trump bluntly warned Netanyahu that the developments were damaging Israel's standing, saying, "Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this".
Trump warned Netanyahu not to target Beirut after Iran had warned that Israeli strikes in Lebanon were undermining talks to end the war.
Source: India Today