The Pentagon has reportedly increased its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to its highest level, amid growing concerns within U.S. defense circles about possible Israeli intelligence activities targeting American officials.
According to two current U.S. officials and one former official, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently issued an internal assessment elevating Israel’s status to “critical” in recent weeks, as tensions deepen between Washington and Tel Aviv over the handling of the war with Iran.
The officials said the updated assessment was circulated internally through a DIA message viewed by one of them, reflecting concerns that Israel may be attempting to monitor senior U.S. officials to gain insight into internal deliberations within the Trump administration regarding Middle East policy.
The internal document, which includes a seven-page analysis and a chart, reportedly states that Israel’s human espionage and technical intelligence capabilities are operating at a “critical level,” according to one of the officials.
It also points to several incidents that contributed to heightened concern, though details were not fully disclosed.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington strongly rejected the allegations, saying it is “completely false” that Israel spies on the U.S. The spokesperson stated, “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials. Israel’s intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or politically motivated.”
A White House official also dismissed the report, saying, “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment.
While espionage between allies is not uncommon, the officials said Israel’s recent activity is viewed within parts of the Pentagon as exceeding normal intelligence-gathering practices. It remains unclear what specific event triggered the DIA’s decision to raise the alert level.
The development comes amid reported disagreements between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over strategy in the Iran conflict and military operations in Lebanon. NBC News previously reported tensions during a recent call in which Trump allegedly referred to Netanyahu as “crazy.”
Since a ceasefire took effect in April, Trump has been pursuing diplomatic engagement with Iran, while Israel has expressed skepticism about Tehran’s willingness to comply with any agreement. Netanyahu has also pushed for continued military pressure, particularly against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
U.S. officials said the most immediate impact of the heightened alert is expected to be increased caution for American personnel traveling to or meeting Israeli counterparts, although intelligence-sharing between both countries remains unchanged.
“The U.S. already takes extra precautions when visiting Israel,” one official said. “They’re well-known to aggressively collect.”
Experts noted that the United States routinely monitors allies for intelligence risks, just as other countries do. Israel, in particular, has long been viewed within intelligence circles as conducting aggressive espionage activities, even against close partners.
“Israel has a hyper-aggressive intelligence service,” said Emily Harding, vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They are exceedingly interested in what we are up to.”
Historical incidents have also shaped perceptions, including the case of former U.S. Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted in the 1980s of spying for Israel.
Meanwhile, the United States itself has faced scrutiny for surveillance activities against allies, including revelations from Edward Snowden in 2013 that U.S. intelligence agencies had monitored foreign leaders such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Despite the concerns, both nations remain close strategic partners with deep intelligence cooperation spanning decades. However, current tensions, particularly over the Iran war, risk straining trust between Washington and Tel Aviv, former officials warned.
