US media: Pentagon raises alarm over Israeli-linked espionage threat

The US Department of Defense has gone on alert due to increased espionage activities by Israel, the US's closest ally in the Middle East, targeting American officials. According to reports by US-based NBC News and the New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, the Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat level regarding Israel to the highest category.

According to the allegations, the Pentagon raised the Israel-linked counterintelligence threat to the highest level due to the belief that the US's peace negotiations with Iran may have been wiretapped by Israel.

Recent US intelligence reports have also raised concerns that Israeli intelligence agencies have been eavesdropping on American officials negotiating a peace deal with Iran. The situation has emerged at a time when general concerns regarding the counterintelligence threat posed by Israel are increasing.

"Eavesdropping attempts targeting key figures including Witkoff"

Intelligence reports included concerns that Israel has increased its attempts to eavesdrop on high-level US officials, including US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Andrew Colby, and one of his deputies, Michael DiMino.

"US officials believe Israel has 'crossed the line'"

According to sources, Israel and the US have long monitored each other's activities and tolerated this to a certain extent. However, some US officials viewed Israel's aggressive efforts to learn US positions in the ongoing talks with Iran as "crossing the line."

Another report prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other military intelligence units, which focuses on developments dating back several years, stated that the level of the counterintelligence threat posed by Israel has been raised in recent weeks from "high" to the highest level, "critical."

The report, which also included contributions from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), detailed the activities Israel has conducted to spy on US military personnel and government officials.

"Secret software installed on officials' phones"

The Defense Intelligence Agency report was prepared following incidents involving the discovery of secret software installed on the phones of US defense personnel serving in Israel for the purpose of eavesdropping on their conversations.

"Aggression spiraled out of control during Trump's second term"

One high-level official stated that the aggression in Israel's intelligence-gathering activities targeting senior US officials during the second term of the Trump administration had reached a level that was "out of control."

Officials explained that American military personnel have implemented various security procedures and protocols to protect their mobile phones and other electronic devices from being compromised by Israeli espionage activities. Emphasizing that measures were tightened especially when traveling to Israel, the officials did not provide details regarding the measures taken for security reasons.

According to the report, counterintelligence incidents began to increase in late 2024, when the administration of former US President Joe Biden was pressuring Israel to limit its attacks on the Gaza Strip. These incidents continued throughout 2025, as the Trump administration evaluated options for strikes against Iran.

"Activities of Israeli intelligence officials had been noticed"

The report, which also mentioned incidents from recent years, included events such as Israeli military intelligence officers being caught placing listening devices at the Defense Intelligence Agency headquarters in 2021, and the discovery last year that officials from the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, were attempting to place a listening device on an American secret service vehicle.

"Intelligence warning regarding Israel was no surprise"

Reports based on many current and former officials, who were not named, stated that the counterintelligence warning regarding Israel was not a surprise and that Israel has long engaged in aggressive intelligence-gathering activities against both its enemies and its allies.

The situation, which emerged at a time when the US and Israel have launched joint strikes against Iran and joint military activities between the parties are being conducted with unprecedented coordination, was interpreted as Israel attempting to gain insights into Trump's strategy toward Iran and his shifting stance in peace talks.

"Disagreements between the US and Israel have increased"

The report claimed that while Trump continues his pursuit of peace with Iran, tensions have arisen between the US and Israel because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to further weaken Iran's capabilities, topple the Tehran administration, and continue attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It was alleged that the two countries were largely on the same page at the beginning of the Iran war, but that disagreements began to increase as the goals of the war diverged.

Denial of allegations from the Israeli Embassy in Washington

In a statement from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, the allegations that Tel Aviv poses a counterintelligence threat to the US were contested. The statement maintained that Israel does not spy on US officials and institutions.

Trump had used profanity against Netanyahu

US media reported that in a meeting with Netanyahu this week, Trump directed harsh criticism at the Israeli leader due to Israel's attack plans for Lebanon and used profanity, also stating that because of this situation, everyone hates him and Israel.

Trump later confirmed the allegations in response to a question at a press conference at the White House about whether he "really spoke like that" to Netanyahu, attributing it to the intimacy between him and the Israeli leader.

News Source: 12punto