The relationship between the United States and Israel appeared to be facing fresh tensions after the Pentagon reportedly elevated its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to its highest level over concerns of alleged espionage activities targeting top American officials.
According to NBC News, citing US officials, the Pentagonโs Defense Intelligence Agency assessed that Israelโs โability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a โcritical levelโ,โ marking a significant escalation in Washingtonโs security concerns.
The development followed intelligence reports suggesting that Israel has been attempting to gather sensitive information on โthe Trump administrationโs internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East,โ the report said.
The New York Times also reported that Israeli intelligence efforts allegedly included attempts to eavesdrop on senior US officials, among them President Donald Trumpโs chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and the Pentagonโs top policy official, Elbridge Colby.
The latest revelations came amid growing strains between the long-standing allies following their joint military campaign against Iran. The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, an operation that triggered a broader regional conflict.
Since the outbreak of the war, relations between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reportedly deteriorated.
Earlier this week, Axios and ABC News reported that Trump unleashed a profanity-filled tirade during a phone conversation with Netanyahu over Israelโs threats to bomb the Lebanese capital, Beirut. According to the reports, the US president feared such an action could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts and negotiations with Tehran.
The Pentagon has not publicly commented on the reported change in Israelโs counterintelligence threat status, while Israeli authorities have yet to respond to the allegations.
