Pentagon Raises Counterintelligence Threat to ‘Critical’ Over Suspected Israeli Wiretapping

The US defense establishment has elevated its internal counterintelligence threat matrix regarding Israel to its highest possible designation.

The emergency adjustment follows intelligence disclosures indicating that Israeli operatives have been actively intercepting the communications of top US diplomats and military planners, The New York Times reported.

Targeting Trump’s inner circle

According to a comprehensive report by The New York Times citing multiple senior US officials, a joint assessment compiled by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and companion military intelligence branches prompted the policy shift. Over recent weeks, the designated counterintelligence threat level posed by Israel was officially raised from “high” to “critical”.

The intelligence community’s primary concern centers on an aggressive Israeli wiretapping campaign targeting US officials who are actively molding Washington’s shifting diplomatic framework with Iran.

The classified logs explicitly name several high-profile targets of the surveillance intercept: US President Donald Trump’s chief negotiator tasked with brokering a diplomatic resolution with Tehran and the Pentagon’s top policy official, alongside one of his primary deputies.

US intelligence veterans noted that while both Washington and Jerusalem have long maintained a tacit, mutually tolerated understanding that they conduct espionage operations against one another, Israel’s recent efforts to aggressively infiltrate and map out the Trump administration’s evolving negotiating positions have “crossed the line”.

Other Topics of Interest

US Forces Intercept Iranian Ballistic Missiles and Strikes Radar Sites

US forces intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and neighboring Gulf states on Friday, June 5. The Iranian military fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) downed four one-way attack drones threatening regional maritime traffic. In response, US forces launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to prevent further maritime operations.

Deep military alliance clouded by strategic distrust

The unfolding espionage scandal stands in stark contrast to the unparalleled level of daily operational integration currently shared between the two allies. The US and Israel are effectively prosecuting a joint military campaign against Iranian regional networks, featuring unprecedented tactical coordination.

Israeli liaison officers currently work face-to-face alongside US counterparts within the headquarters of US Central Command (CENTCOM), backed by a continuous, massive flow of real-time operational and tactical intelligence sharing from the US military.

Despite this seamless battlefield cooperation, US officials clarified that Israel’s political leadership is fiercely driven to clandestinely ascertain Trump’s long-term strategic intentions and pinpoint any hidden shifts in his negotiating posture regarding a potential bilateral memorandum with Iran.

The Pentagon declined to offer an official comment on the active intelligence reports. Meanwhile, a White House official characterized the wiretapping allegations as entirely false, and a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington issued a firm denial, reasserting that Israel does not pose a counterintelligence threat to the US and strictly refrains from spying on US officials or institutions.

Behind Trump’s backroom fury

The intelligence friction mirrors intense personal animosity behind closed doors between the executive branches of both countries. President Trump’s parallel push to accelerate a diplomatic memorandum with Iran – which includes complex provisions to enforce an immediate cessation of hostilities in Lebanon – has repeatedly collided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aggressive military maneuvers.

Trump recently berated Netanyahu during a phone call over Israeli airstrikes targeting Beirut, shouting at Netanyahu and warning that his disproportionate military responses risked completely blowing up Washington’s delicate channel with Tehran.

While Trump publicly claimed on Truth Social that negotiations with Iran were progressing “at a rapid pace,” intelligence analysts believe Netanyahu’s government turned to electronic espionage to bypass White House gatekeepers and directly assess how much leverage the Trump administration was prepared to trade away to the Iranians.