U.S. Intelligence Labels Israel a Critical Spy Risk

View of the U.S. Capitol building with a security barrier in front

A Pentagon intelligence report has reportedly labeled Israel a “critical” spy threat to the United States — targeting the very officials negotiating Trump’s Iran policy.

Story Highlights

A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment reportedly raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat level to “critical” — the highest possible rating.
Senior U.S. officials involved in Iran talks, including Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, were allegedly targeted by Israeli collection efforts.
Alleged tactics include phone spyware, a bugging attempt on a Secret Service vehicle, and a listening device planted at Pentagon intelligence headquarters in 2021.
Both the White House and the Israeli Embassy flatly denied the report, calling it false — but the underlying classified memo has not been released publicly.

Pentagon Raises Israel to Top Spy Threat

A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment reportedly upgraded Israel’s counterintelligence threat rating from “high” to “critical,” according to the New York Times and NBC News. That is the highest tier the U.S. uses to rank threats from foreign intelligence services. The alleged focus was on Israeli efforts to learn what senior American officials were thinking about Iran — specifically the Trump administration’s negotiating strategy and internal positions in ongoing nuclear talks. ^[1]

The officials reportedly targeted include Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Defense Department policy chief Elbridge Colby, and senior Pentagon intelligence official Michael DiMino. All three were directly involved in U.S. policy toward Iran. According to reporting, Israeli intelligence sought insight into Washington’s shifting positions in negotiations with Tehran — information that would give Israel a major advantage in shaping or disrupting those talks. ^[3]

Alleged Tactics Go Beyond Routine Intelligence

The reported methods are not vague — they are specific and alarming. Reporting based on the Pentagon assessment describes surveillance software found on phones used by U.S. officials. It also describes an alleged attempt by Israel’s internal security service, known as Shin Bet, to plant a listening device inside a U.S. Secret Service vehicle. Separately, Israeli military intelligence officers allegedly planted a listening device at Defense Intelligence Agency headquarters back in 2021. ^[3]

This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. In 2019, Politico reported that U.S. agencies — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — privately concluded that Israeli agents were likely behind mysterious surveillance devices found near the White House. Despite that conclusion, the Trump administration at the time took no action to punish or even privately warn Israel. That pattern of quiet tolerance has repeated itself across multiple administrations. ^[4]

A Long History of Looking the Other Way

U.S. concern about Israeli espionage is not new. A Government Accountability Office finding cited in historical research concluded that Israel “conducts the most aggressive espionage operations against the United States of any ally.” The focus has historically included classified military technology and sensitive economic information. Despite that, public enforcement has been rare. The most famous case remains Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. Navy analyst arrested in 1985 for passing secrets to Israel. ^[8]

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More recently, in 2021, nine U.S. State Department officials were reportedly targeted by Pegasus — a powerful phone spyware tool developed by an Israeli company. That episode added to a growing list of incidents where Israeli-linked surveillance tools or operatives allegedly turned up in places they should not have been. ^[9] The core problem here is not just the spying itself — it is the pattern of the U.S. government absorbing the offense and moving on without consequence.

Denials Are Strong, But the Memo Exists

Both the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the White House issued flat denials. The Embassy said Israel “does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone U.S. government officials.” A White House official called the entire story “false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.” Those are strong words — but they are not the same as releasing the classified memo and proving it wrong. ^[7]

The underlying Defense Intelligence Agency document has not been made public. That means the public is left weighing strong denials against detailed reporting from multiple outlets, all pointing to the same classified assessment. The U.S.-Israel relationship is deep and strategically important — but no alliance should come with a blind eye toward espionage targeting American officials. Congress has the power to demand answers. Whether it will is another question entirely.