US Defense Intelligence Agency raises Israel counterintelligence threat level to “critical”

Several US media outlets report that an anonymous source from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) leaked internal information indicating that the Pentagon has elevated Israel to the highest category of counterintelligence threat. The change was reportedly made due to significantly expanded intelligence activities against the US. Officially, Washington has denounced the reports, and Israel has dismissed the allegations as “completely false.” However, the allegations are still causing a stir in Washington as Israel is considered one of the closest partners of the US. At the same time, these reports highlight a decades-old issue: mutual distrust regarding intelligence activities carried […]...Keep on reading: US-Israel: What are the allegations of espionage all about?

Angry Pentagon Sources Leak Report Of Israel's 'Unhinged' Spying On US Officials It's no secret that Israeli spying and surveillance is pervasive, and it is often even directed at its most powerful ally and backer, the United States. But the phenomenon has escalated of late, outraging Washington intelligence officials. Behind the scenes of this alliance which mainstream media and pundits typically project as essentially untouchable, deep-seated friction is boiling over. In an unprecedented move, the Pentagon has officially elevated Israel's counterintelligence threat level to its highest possible category, driven by surging internal alarm that this primary Mideast regional ally is aggressively ramping up espionage operations targeting senior US officials - even Trump's own top Iran negotiator. Pentagon file image The intelligence warning, freshly reported this weekend by NBC News and The New York Times, highlights a profound rift within the national security apparatus as tensions mount between the Trump administration and Israel over the ongoing joint war on Iran. The revelation's timing is interesting, given it comes after Axios reported at the start of this month that on a phone call President Trump 'steamrolled' Prime Minister Netanyahu. Trump is said to have been "pissed" and at one point yelled and berated Netanyahu, saying "What the fuck are you doing?" And now, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is broadcasting an internal alert raising Israel's specific threat designation to "critical". According to details revealed in a Sunday NBC report: The designation stems from concerns within the Pentagon that Israel is making a particular effort to surveil top U.S. officials to get information on the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East, the officials said. The DIA assessment includes a seven-page document and features a chart, according to one of the current U.S. officials. The document says the assessment of Israel is that its ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a “critical level,” according to the official. And parallel to this, a report by the NY Times lists out names that are very high level within the Trump administration. Israel has allegedly focused its electronic and human efforts to eavesdrop on the following officials (likely among others): Steve Witkoff, Trump’s premier regional negotiator. Elbridge A. Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy official. Michael P. DiMino IV, one of Colby’s primary deputies. The Israeli embassy in Washingtons has slammed the reports as 'completely false': "This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on," it said in a statement. But the major US media reports highlight American intel officials who don't try and tone down or couch their words. Instead they speak of "unhinged" Israeli spying on US government officials. The targeting of Colby is particularly notable given his past public policy statements, where he has explicitly called for a "reset" on the foundational US relationship with Israel. More broadly, Israel is worried about losing the political Right in the United States, given the number of younger, prominent conservative 'influencers' who have been highly critical of Israel of late. Meanwhile the DIA dossier explicitly concludes that Israel's capabilities to execute both human espionage (HUMINT) and technical collection (SIGINT) and provides deals and documentation of specific recent incidents That unnamed US officials are leaking this story to legacy media is, like previous leaks, another sign of growing resentment in the US NatSecState over the Iran war debacle, and Israel's critical role cajoling the US in & pushing Trump to resume the war.https://t.co/y7o79ISehr — Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) June 6, 2026 Current and former US officials summarized the crisis to NBC by noting that Israel's recent clandestine activities have moved far beyond the baseline, routine espionage conventionally tolerated on some level between friendly nations. It appears the Netanyahu government is going to great lengths to ensure President Trump doesn't make a 'bad deal' to end the Iran war. Also, it's clear - given these new leaks by US officials - that Trump insiders are quite outraged at this Israeli aggression on the intelligence-sharing front. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/07/2026 - 16:55

The Pentagon has elevated its counterintelligence threat level for Israel to ‘critical’ amid concerns over Israeli spying on top US officials. Learn more. Read More: https://punchng.com/us-raises-threat-of-israeli-spying-to-critical-report/

Reports say Pentagon raised Israeli espionage threat level to ‘critical’ The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reportedly raised its assessment of the threat posed by Israeli espionage from “high” to “critical”, according to reports by NBC News and The New York Times, which cited anonymous US officials. The reports said the change was driven by concerns that Israel has adopted increasingly aggressive intelligence-gathering tactics amid tensions surrounding the US-Israel war on Iran. According to the reports, US officials fear Israeli intelligence services are attempting to monitor senior American officials and gain insight into internal White House discussions regarding efforts to end the conflict. 

Pentagon raises alarm over Israel’s ‘unhinged’ spying on US officials: Report Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sat, 06/06/2026 - 19:17 US officials say Israeli spying on Washington has intensified during the war with Iran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump (Brendan Smialowski, Ronen Zvulun/AFP) Off 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 reflects 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 Read More » 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 February 28. 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. UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

US raises threat assessment level for Israeli spying of officials to 'critical' The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reportedly raised its counter-intelligence threat assessment for Israel to “critical”, according to US media reports citing two current US officials and one former official. The reported assessment comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Israel over developments related to Iran and the wider Middle East. According to the report, the DIA circulated an internal document outlining concerns that Israel was seeking intelligence on the Trump administration’s internal discussions and decision-making regarding regional conflicts. The assessment reportedly stated that Israel’s capabilities in both human intelligence and technical information collection had reached a “critical level” and cited several incidents that heightened US concerns. One US official quoted in the report said American personnel already take additional precautions when visiting Israel because the country is “well-known to aggressively collect” intelligence.  Aerial view of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, 31 May 2026 (Daniel Slim/AFP)