Pentagon raises counterintelligence alert regarding Israel, reports say
The move comes as tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv have increased over the war with Iran and other regional security issues.
The Pentagon has elevated its counterintelligence alert concerning Israel to the highest level, according to several US media reports.
NBC News reported that the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently designated Israel as a "critical" counterintelligence concern amid increasing tensions between the two allies over the war with Iran.
The move reportedly followed concerns that Israel may have sought to gather intelligence on senior US officials in an effort to gain insight into the Trump administration's internal discussions and decision-making on conflicts in the Middle East.
The New York Times reported alleged Israeli efforts to monitor senior US officials, including Trump's chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and Pentagon policy chief, Elbridge Colby.
An Israeli Embassy spokesperson in Washington, cited by NBC News, rejected the allegations, describing reports that Israel spies on the United States as "completely false."
The spokesperson said Israeli intelligence activities are focused on the country's adversaries rather than its allies and denied any intelligence-gathering efforts targeting US government officials.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the reports.
A White House official also dismissed the claims, saying the reports were inaccurate and based on sources with no direct knowledge of the matter.
Trump called Netanyahu 'f** crazy': Has their relationship become strained?
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed reports that he used strong language during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was "a little bit perturbed" by Israel's continued military actions in Lebanon.
In an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday, Trump confirmed reports that he had confronted Netanyahu over Israel's military actions in Lebanon. Asked whether he had called the Israeli leader "f** crazy', Trump replied: "I did."
The exchange comes as Israel continues to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States. On Saturday, at least five people were killed and 22 wounded in two separate Israeli strikes, according to Lebanese authorities.
Despite the reported disagreement, Trump described both himself and Netanyahu as leaders operating in wartime circumstances and maintained that cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem remained intact.
Pentagon raises alarm over Israel’s
‘unhinged’ spying on US officials
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump (Brendan Smialowski, Ronen Zvulun/AFP)
By Elis Gjevori
6 June 2026
The Pentagon has raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat level to its highest category, amid growing alarm that Washington’s supposed closest Middle East ally is intensifying efforts to spy on senior US officials.
The warning, reported by NBC News and The New York Times on Saturday, exposes behind the scenes tensions in a relationship Washington often treats as untouchable.
The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency recently issued the new assessment as tensions grow between the Trump administration and Israel over the Israeli-US war on Iran.
US officials told NBC that the DIA posted an internal message raising Israel’s threat level to “critical”.
The designation signals alarm inside the Pentagon that Israel is working to monitor top US officials and obtain information about internal Trump administration deliberations on wars across the Middle East.
The New York Times reported that US intelligence has focused on Israeli efforts to eavesdrop on senior officials, including Steve Witkoff, Trump’s top negotiator, Elbridge A Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy official, and Michael P DiMino IV, one of Colby’s main deputies.
Colby has in the past called for a "reset" on the US relationship with Israel.
Israel’s counterintelligence threat level now stands higher than that of any other US ally and even higher than some adversarial states, the Times reported.
One senior official described Israel’s intelligence collection against top US officials during the second Trump administration as “unhinged”.
'Critical threat'
The DIA assessment includes a seven-page document and a chart, one US official told NBC. The document says Israel’s ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection has reached a “critical level” and lists specific incidents that sharpened US concern.
Current and former US officials told NBC that Israel’s recent activity has moved far beyond routine espionage between allies.
Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard suggests Egypt and Turkey are next targets for war
The warning comes as Israel pushes for deeper military integration with the United States. A provision before Congress would bind the US and Israeli militaries more closely on weapons research, production and technology - a move expected to benefit Israel heavily.
The Pentagon’s assessment could now complicate efforts to expand war planning between US Central Command and Israel, especially if officials restrict the information shared with Israeli officers.
Since a ceasefire took effect in early April, Trump has pursued diplomacy with Iran to end the war the US and Israel launched on 28 February. Israel has openly pushed for Washington to restart the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed for renewed bombing of Iran and clashed with Trump, who has urged him to scale back attacks on Lebanon.
The episode revives a long-running concern in Washington. In the 1980s, US Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard spent 30 years in prison after selling suitcases of top-secret documents to Israel.
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