Pentagon Elevates Threat Assessment of Israeli Espionage to Critical

Reports indicate heightened concerns over escalating espionage activity amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

The Pentagon’s intelligence apparatus has upgraded the perceived threat level from high to critical concerning Israeli espionage activities in recent weeks, according to U.S. media reports.

NBC News first reported the development on Friday, and The New York Times published its own story the next day.

According to anonymous sources, the shift reflects growing worries about increasingly aggressive tactics employed in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Officials said the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) raised the alert level amid concerns that Israel is stepping up surveillance of senior U.S. officials, allegedly to gauge internal White House deliberations on how to conclude the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have publicly diverged in their approaches to the war, which the United States and Israel launched on February 28.

Trump has repeatedly asserted his desire to bring the war to an end, amid mounting domestic political pressure.

Netanyahu, however, has urged a resumption of hostilities despite the April 8 ceasefire. Although fighting has largely paused since the temporary truce, attempts to forge a durable agreement have repeatedly faltered.

The New York Times reported that, although Israel has a history of spying on the United States, the DIA noted a surge in activity beginning in late 2024, coinciding with President Joe Biden’s intensified pressure on Israel over its Gaza campaign.

The uptick persisted into 2025 as Trump returned to the presidency and began considering his approach toward Iran.

Recent intelligence assessments also documented Israeli efforts to monitor Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Pentagon policy official Elbridge Colby and his deputy Michael DiMino IV.

Witkoff had served as the lead negotiator in nuclear talks that preceded the initial U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran in February.

Both NBC News and The New York Times based their reports on anonymous U.S. officials, and the U.S. Department of Defense has not yet responded to a request for comment from Al Jazeera.

An unnamed spokesperson told both news outlets that the reports were false.

Nevertheless, the concerns are likely to prompt questions about the close intelligence and military coordination between Israel and the United States.

Washington has for years supplied Israel with billions of dollars in military aid and weapons sales, including during the Gaza conflict.

The U.S. Congress is currently debating a provision in a new defense bill that would integrate Israel and the United States’ research and development for weapons to an unprecedented degree.

While the United States and its allies regularly conduct intelligence operations on one another, officials told NBC News and The New York Times that Israel’s recent heightened activity was unprecedented.

The New York Times reported that the DIA’s heightened classification exceeds that of all current allies and a few nations with more strained relations.

Recent incidents cited by the newspaper include Israeli military intelligence attempting to plant listening devices at DIA headquarters in 2021.

In 2025, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, was reported to have attempted to plant a similar device in a Secret Service vehicle.

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