Pentagon raises Israel counterintelligence threat level to "critical"

The Pentagon has raised concerns about intensified Israeli intelligence activity targeting the United States, elevating the counterintelligence threat level associated with Israel to “critical,” according to current and former US officials, cited by US media.

The reassessment was conducted in recent weeks by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) amid growing tensions between Washington and Israel over the course of the war with Iran. Officials said the updated classification reflects concerns that Israel is actively seeking sensitive information about the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on Middle East conflicts.

According to one official, the DIA assessment includes a detailed report identifying Israel’s capacity for both human intelligence operations and technical surveillance as operating at a “critical level,” along with a series of incidents that heightened US concern.

Israel has strongly denied the allegations. A spokesperson for its embassy in Washington said claims that Israel spies on the United States are “completely false,” adding: “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials. Israel's intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or politically motivated.”

The Pentagon declined to comment, while a White House official dismissed the report, stating: “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”

The development comes at a sensitive moment in US-Israel relations. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have recently clashed over strategy in the Iran conflict and Israeli military actions in Lebanon. Trump has pushed for a diplomatic resolution following an April ceasefire, while Israel has expressed scepticism about any agreement with Tehran and advocated renewed military action.

Despite the heightened counterintelligence alert, officials said there is no indication of disruption to the close intelligence-sharing relationship between the two allies, particularly regarding Iran.

US officials noted that espionage between allies is not uncommon, but described Israel’s alleged recent activities as unusually aggressive. As a precaution, American officials may adopt stricter security measures during visits to Israel, including heightened operational security practices.

By Tamilla Hasanova