Report claims Pentagon raised Israel espionage threat level
NBC News cited current and former US officials as saying the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently issued a revised assessment classifying Israel’s intelligence threat designation as “critical.”
According to those officials, the shift reflects concerns that Israeli intelligence services have become more active in monitoring senior US policymakers in order to better understand internal deliberations within the Trump administration regarding Middle East conflicts.
The report said the DIA assessment includes a seven-page document outlining specific incidents that contributed to heightened US concerns.
Officials also suggested the move comes at a time of increasing tension between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly over the conflicts involving Iran and Israeli operations in Lebanon. One reported point of friction involved a recently described tense phone call between the two leaders.
US officials and outside analysts cited in the report said Israel is closely watching whether the US will escalate military involvement against Iran or instead pursue diplomatic negotiations to end the conflict.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington rejected the allegations, calling them “completely false” and denying that Israel conducts intelligence operations targeting US government officials. A White House official also dismissed the report as inaccurate, while the Pentagon declined to comment.
Separately, Emily Harding of the Center for Strategic and International Studies described Israel as maintaining a highly assertive intelligence posture, saying, “They are exceedingly interested in what we are up to.”
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