This action occurs amid growing friction between Washington and Tel Aviv over the conflict with Iran and other regional security challenges.
The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence alert level regarding Israel to the most critical status, as reported by multiple U.S. media outlets.
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NBC News indicated that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) of the Pentagon recently classified Israel as a «critical» counterintelligence threat amid escalating tensions between the allies concerning the Iran conflict.
This decision reportedly followed fears that Israel might have attempted to collect intelligence on senior U.S. officials to better understand the Trump administration’s internal strategies and decision-making processes on Middle Eastern conflicts.
The New York Times reported accusations of Israeli monitoring efforts targeting high-ranking U.S. officials, including Trump’s chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and Pentagon policy director, Elbridge Colby.
An Israeli Embassy representative in Washington, quoted by NBC News, dismissed these claims, labeling the allegations that Israel espionages on the United States as «entirely unfounded.»
The spokesperson emphasized that Israeli intelligence operations prioritize adversaries rather than allies and refuted any intelligence activities aimed at U.S. government personnel.
The Pentagon has not issued comments regarding these reports.
A White House official also refuted the accusations, describing them as inaccurate and based on sources lacking firsthand information.
Trump described Netanyahu as ‘f** crazy’: Is their relationship deteriorating?
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday affirmed reports stating he used strong language in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mentioning he was “somewhat annoyed” by Israel’s ongoing military actions in Lebanon.
In a Wednesday interview with the New York Post, Trump verified reports that he had confronted Netanyahu about Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. When asked if he had called the Israeli leader «f** crazy,» Trump responded: «I did.»
This exchange took place as Israel continues to conduct strikes in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States. Lebanese authorities reported that at least five people were killed and 22 wounded across two separate Israeli strikes on Saturday.
Despite the purported disagreement, Trump characterized both himself and Netanyahu as leaders navigating wartime conditions and affirmed that U.S.-Israeli cooperation remains solid.