The U.S. Department of Defense has reportedly elevated the counterintelligence threat level regarding Israel to its highest status.
On June 6, The New York Times cited multiple current and former U.S. officials, stating that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other military intelligence agencies have prepared a report raising Israel's counterintelligence threat level from "high" to "serious."
According to the report, U.S. officials, including Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for Iran negotiations under President Donald Trump, as well as Elbridge Colby, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy, and Michael Dimino, who oversees Middle East policy at the Pentagon, are believed to be among those targeted by Israel's surveillance efforts.
NBC News also reported on the same day, citing two U.S. officials and one former official, that the DIA has communicated internally that the counterintelligence threat level regarding Israel has been raised to "serious." NBC explained that this action comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Israel regarding future responses to the Iran conflict.
U.S. officials expressed growing concerns within the Pentagon that Israel may be monitoring U.S. officials to gain insights into internal discussions and decision-making processes related to Middle Eastern conflicts during the Trump administration.
The assessment of the counterintelligence threat posed by Israel is reportedly higher than that of some adversaries, as well as certain allied nations. According to The New York Times, the only country that comes close to Israel's threat level is South Korea, under specific circumstances.
The DIA's report was prompted by discoveries made by U.S. military personnel stationed in Israel, who found spyware secretly installed on their mobile phones. The report indicates that Israel's counterintelligence activities began to increase in late 2024, following pressure from the Biden administration for Israel to exercise restraint in its attacks on Gaza, and have continued to rise since the Trump administration considered military action against Iran last year.
Last year, Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet was caught attempting to install surveillance devices on vehicles belonging to the U.S. Secret Service. A senior official expressed concerns that since the start of Trump's second term, Israeli intelligence operations targeting U.S. officials have become "out of control."
Israel has strongly denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington stated in a message to NBC that claims of Israeli espionage against the U.S. are "completely false."
The spokesperson added, "Israel does not collect information on U.S. agencies, and even less so on U.S. government officials. Israel's intelligence efforts are aimed at adversaries, not allies."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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