The United States has placed Israel in its highest counterintelligence risk category, driven by mounting concern that America’s closest Middle Eastern partner is aggressively stepping up efforts to monitor its senior officials, as Washington deals with the sensitive issue of ending the Iran war.
The disclosure, carried by NBC News and The New York Times on Saturday, lays bare a rarely acknowledged undercurrent of mistrust in a bilateral relationship that Washington typically portrays as beyond reproach.
For decades, both nations have quietly tolerated a degree of mutual espionage. However, according to American officials who spoke with The Times, Israel’s recent push to uncover U.S. negotiating positions regarding Iran has crossed an unacceptable threshold.
Pentagon’s new threat assessment was issued by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) amid escalating friction between President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel over the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
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Citing U.S. officials, NBC reported that the DIA circulated an internal notice elevating Israel’s threat designation to “critical.” That classification reflects deep unease within the Pentagon that Israel is actively seeking to track top American officials and gain access to internal White House deliberations on conflicts throughout the Middle East.
The New York Times detailed that U.S. intelligence has zeroed in on Israeli attempts to intercept communications from several key figures: Steve Witkoff, the president’s chief negotiator; Elbridge A. Colby, the Pentagon’s senior policy official; and Michael P. DiMino, one of Colby’s principal deputies. Colby has previously advocated for a “reset” in America’s relationship with Israel.
According to The Times, Israel’s counterintelligence threat level now exceeds that of any other U.S. ally and even surpasses the ratings assigned to certain adversary nations. One senior official characterized Israel’s intelligence-gathering operations against top U.S. officials during the second Trump administration as “unhinged.”
A U.S. official informed NBC that the DIA’s assessment includes a seven-page written analysis accompanied by a chart. The document asserts that Israel’s capacity for both human espionage and technical data collection has reached a “critical level” and enumerates specific incidents that have heightened American alarm.
Current and former U.S. officials told NBC that Israel’s recent conduct goes well beyond the routine intelligence-sharing and counter-intelligence games typical among allied nations.
Washington has long been aware of the longstanding anxiety over Israeli spying. In the 1980s, Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after handing over briefcases packed with top-secret documents to Israel.
The latest heightened warning arrives at a moment when Israel is actively seeking deeper military integration with the United States.
A pending measure before Congress would tightly link U.S. and Israeli military cooperation in weapons research, production, and technology sharing—an arrangement widely seen as heavily advantageous to Israel.
The Pentagon’s latest assessment could now complicate efforts to deepen joint operational planning between U.S. Central Command and Israel, particularly if American officials decide to limit the flow of sensitive information to their Israeli counterparts, officials noted.
Since the implementation of a ceasefire in early April, Trump has engaged in diplomatic efforts with Iran aimed at ending the war that the United States and Israel launched on February 28, 2026. Israel, however, has openly urged Washington to resume hostilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed for a renewed bombing campaign against Iran and has reportedly clashed with Trump, who has encouraged Netanyahu to dial back attacks on Lebanon.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
