US Lists Israel At Highest Spying Threat Level, Reports Say

The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat level for Israel to the highest category, reflecting deepening concern within the United States defence establishment that one of Washington’s closest allies is intensifying efforts to spy on senior American officials.

The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency in recent weeks issued the new counterintelligence threat assessment amid rising tensions between Israel and the U.S. over the way forward in the war with Iran, according to NBC News, which cited two current and one former US official. The officials said the DIA posted an internal message that raised the level for Israel to “critical.”

According to the network, the document says the assessment of Israel is that its ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a “critical level.” The Pentagon’s intelligence arm raised the assessed threat level on Israeli spying from “high” to “critical.”

The DIA tied the designation to fears that Israel was working to obtain information on the Trump administration’s internal deliberations on Middle East conflicts. The DIA assessment includes a seven-page document and features a chart, according to one of the current U.S. officials.

The New York Times reported that the officials of concern included US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the Pentagon’s top policy officer, Elbridge A. Colby, and one of the Defense Department’s senior officials, Michael P. DiMino IV. Witkoff had led nuclear negotiations that preceded the initial US-Israeli attack on Iran. The Times noted the DIA cited a rise in Israeli monitoring beginning in late 2024 that continued into 2025.

Both Washington and Israel rejected the reports. A White House official said in a statement, “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.” The Pentagon declined to comment, while the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the Pentagon’s DIA, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington described the espionage claims as “completely false,” with a spokesperson stating that “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials.” The embassy added that its collection efforts target enemies, not allies, and dismissed contrary claims as “misinformed or politically motivated.”

The assessment lands at a tense moment between the two governments. The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in late February, opening the wider conflict. Strain has since surfaced over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.

Reports by Axios and ABC News said Trump confronted Netanyahu in an expletive-laden call over Israeli threats to bomb Beirut, fearing the escalation would derail talks with Tehran. One U.S. official summarised Trump’s remarks as: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass.” Israel subsequently shelved plans to strike Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital.