The United States has reportedly elevated its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to the highest possible level amid concerns over alleged espionage activities targeting senior American officials.
According to reports cited by US media on Saturday, the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that Israel’s “ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a ‘critical level’,” NBC News said, citing US officials.
The decision was reportedly driven by fears within Washington that Israeli intelligence efforts were aimed at gathering information on “the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East,” the American network said.
The New York Times also reported allegations of Israeli surveillance attempts involving high-ranking US figures.
Among those said to have been targeted were President Donald Trump’s chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and the Pentagon’s top policy official, Elbridge Colby.
The development comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between the United States and Israel despite their recent military cooperation.
On February 28, the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran, an operation that sparked the ongoing conflict.
Since then, relations between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reportedly shown signs of strain.
Earlier this week, Axios and ABC News reported that Trump angrily confronted Netanyahu during a phone conversation, delivering a profanity-filled rebuke over Israeli threats to launch attacks on Beirut.
According to the reports, Trump was concerned such actions could jeopardise ongoing discussions with Tehran.