The Pentagon has elevated its counterintelligence threat assessment of Israel to its highest category, reflecting growing concerns within parts of the U.S. national security establishment about Israeli intelligence-gathering activities targeting American officials and communications.
According to NBC News, current and former U.S. officials say the Defense Intelligence Agency has raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat rating to “critical” — the highest level used within the agency.
The designation reportedly stems from growing concerns that Israeli intelligence services are aggressively seeking information about internal U.S. discussions related to Iran and regional security policy. The heightened scrutiny comes as the Trump administration attempts to manage a tenuous ceasefire with Tehran and broader tensions across the Middle East.
Concerns linked to Iran policy disagreements
The reported reassessment comes amid growing friction between Washington and Jerusalem over strategy toward Iran in the aftermath of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign and subsequent ceasefire talks. Despite their close security partnership, American officials have acknowledged that U.S. and Israeli interests do not always align when it comes to Iran and the future of the Middle East.
According to reports, U.S. intelligence officials became particularly concerned after American personnel operating in Israel allegedly discovered software capable of intercepting communications installed on government devices. The reported incident contributed to the decision to elevate the threat assessment.
The New York Times, cited by multiple outlets, reported that several senior U.S. officials involved in Iran policy discussions were believed to have been targets of Israeli intelligence collection efforts.
Israel denies allegations
Israeli officials have strongly rejected the reports.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington said allegations that Israel spies on U.S. government officials are “completely false.” The embassy stated that Israeli intelligence efforts are directed at adversaries rather than allies and denied conducting espionage against American entities.
The White House has also publicly pushed back on some of the reporting, with administration officials dismissing claims that Israel poses an unusual intelligence threat to the United States.
Long history of intelligence concerns
Despite the close U.S.-Israel security partnership, concerns about Israeli espionage activities have surfaced periodically for decades. The most notable case involved Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who was convicted in 1987 of passing classified information to Israel.
More recently, the Biden administration briefly restricted some intelligence sharing with Israel in 2024 over concerns about how certain information was being used during military operations in Gaza, an unusual step that underscored periodic tensions within the intelligence relationship.
Intelligence cooperation continues
Despite the reported threat-level change, intelligence and military cooperation between the United States and Israel remains extensive. The two countries continue to share intelligence on Iran, terrorism, missile defense, and regional security threats.
Neither the Pentagon nor the Defense Intelligence Agency has publicly confirmed the reported “critical” designation. Officials familiar with the matter told reporters that the assessment reflects counterintelligence concerns rather than any broader shift in the strategic alliance between the two countries.
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