Pentagon labels Israel espionage threat “critical,” top level

Pentagon raises – The Pentagon raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat designation to “critical,” citing U.S. intelligence concerns that Israel is increasing surveillance of senior American officials. Israel’s embassy and a White House official both denied the allegations, w

For U.S. officials headed to Israel. the phone call used to be a checklist of habits—disposable devices. clean laptops. and no sensitive talk in hotel rooms. Now. those routines are expected to tighten further after the Pentagon raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat level to “critical. ” the highest possible designation.

The change was reported on Saturday, with U.S. officials saying the Defense Intelligence Agency issued its counterintelligence assessment in recent weeks. They said the DIA circulated an internal notice raising Israel’s threat level to “critical. ” driven by Pentagon concerns that Israel was making significant efforts to monitor U.S. officials in order to obtain information about internal deliberations and decision-making processes within the Trump administration regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

One official said the DIA assessment includes a seven-page document describing Israel’s capacity for human intelligence and technological intelligence collection at a “critical level.” That same account said the document identified several specific incidents that increased U.S. concern, though the officials speaking to NBC did not say whether any one incident triggered the decision.

The immediate implication of the new designation, the officials said, is stricter restrictions and extreme caution measures for U.S. officials and diplomats during visits to Israel or official meetings with Israeli representatives. Officials who were already preparing for travel have long used disposable phones and clean laptops. and avoided sensitive conversations in hotel rooms due to fears of surveillance. but the guidance now is expected to become significantly stricter.

A senior official put it bluntly: “The U.S. already takes extra precautions when visiting Israel. They’re well-known to aggressively collect.”

Israel rejects the allegations outright. The Israeli Embassy in Washington said in a statement that “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities. let alone U.S. government officials.” It added that “Israel intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies. not its allies. ” and insisted the claims were “either misinformed or politically motivated.” The Pentagon declined to comment.

The White House also denied the story. A White House official said: “this entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”

The dispute comes at a moment when U.S.-Israeli coordination over Iran has been strained by public disagreements. Just two weeks ago. Israeli security officials told The New York Times that Israel had been pushed aside “completely” by the Trump administration. to the point that its leaders were barely involved in ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran. That earlier reporting described how. in the absence of information from their closest allies. Israeli officials learned what they could about contacts between Washington and Tehran through ties with regional leaders and diplomats.

Last week, reports highlighted differences between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump was reported as calling Netanyahu “fucking crazy” in what was described as the “cursing call.” Since the ceasefire took effect on April 7. Trump has been leading an effort to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran that would end the war. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has expressed public and private skepticism about Tehran’s willingness to comply and has pressed the U.S. administration to resume strikes on Iran.

U.S. security officials believe Israel’s persistent intelligence efforts are connected to uncertainty about Trump’s next move—whether he will return to full-scale military action or pursue a deal at any cost.

This isn’t the first time the intelligence relationship has hit a breaking point. The most severe episode cited is the Jonathan Pollard affair. in which Pollard was arrested in the 1980s and spent 30 years in U.S. prison after passing classified documents to Israel. Security experts in Washington have said Israel maintains “hyper-aggressive” intelligence services and that. despite the strategic partnership. the interests of the two countries do not always align.

There is another layer of distrust that has lingered for years. The United States has also engaged in extensive surveillance. revealed through Edward Snowden’s 2013 leaks. which showed that Americans had tapped the mobile phones of European leaders. including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Former U.S. officials warned that at such a sensitive moment—when the Middle East is on a knife’s edge—suspicions like these could erode mutual trust and deepen the rift between Washington and Jerusalem.

For now. the two governments’ broader intelligence cooperation. especially around the war with Iran. is described as continuing as usual. with the designation focused on precautions for U.S. officials interacting with Israeli counterparts. But the Pentagon’s highest-level warning. matched by a swift denial from Israel and the White House. has already turned routine security practices into something more urgent—less about procedure and more about preventing the next misstep when relationships are at their most fragile.

Pentagon Israel counterintelligence threat level critical DIA assessment U.S. officials surveillance Trump administration Iran ceasefire April 7 Netanyahu Jonathan Pollard Edward Snowden