Report: Pentagon Classified Alleged Israeli Espionage as a “Critical” Threat; Israel Calls It “Completely False”

The New York Times reported this evening (*Shabbat*) that intelligence officials in the United States are warning of an escalation in Israeli intelligence-gathering activity on American soil.

According to the report, which relies on American intelligence documents and officials who spoke to the paper anonymously, Israel has stepped up efforts to obtain information about the future positions of U.S. President Donald Trump and about developments in the negotiations with Iran. As part of that effort, the report claims, several senior U.S. administration officials were identified as key targets for intelligence surveillance.

Among the names mentioned in the report are special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading the Iran-related talks on Trump’s behalf; Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, considered one of the administration’s most prominent voices in favor of a more restrained foreign policy; and Michael DiMino, Colby’s senior deputy and the official responsible for shaping Pentagon policy in the Middle East.

According to The New York Times, one of the reports in question was written by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency after several incidents in which American security personnel stationed in Israel noticed software installed on their devices for the purpose of tracking them. In another report, according to the claims, U.S. military intelligence bodies determined that the threat posed by Israeli espionage activity had risen in recent weeks from “high” to “critical” — the highest threat level. According to the report, the U.S. agency responsible for security and counter-espionage also contributed to that assessment.

The report follows an earlier NBC publication, which said concern is growing within the U.S. administration over possible Israeli espionage attempts. According to that report, those concerns have intensified recently in light of disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington over how to deal with Iran and what steps might come next.

It was also claimed that the Pentagon views the alleged Israeli intelligence-gathering efforts seriously and believes their goal is to obtain information about internal discussions within the Trump administration and about decision-making processes on regional and security matters. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Defense, the report says, raised the threat level associated with those attempts to the highest category.

Israel’s embassy in Washington issued a forceful denial of the allegations: "The claim appearing in the report is completely false. Israel does not collect intelligence on American officials, and certainly not on senior members of the U.S. administration. Israel’s intelligence-gathering efforts are directed at its enemies, not its allies. Any claim to the contrary is based on incorrect information or driven by political considerations."