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The Pentagon has elevated its counterintelligence alert concerning Israel to the highest level, according to several US media reports.
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NBC News reported that the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently designated Israel as a “critical” counterintelligence concern amid increasing tensions between the two allies over the war with Iran.
The move reportedly followed concerns that Israel may have sought to gather intelligence on senior US officials in an effort to gain insight into the Trump administration’s internal discussions and decision-making on conflicts in the Middle East.
The New York Times reported alleged Israeli efforts to monitor senior US officials, including Trump’s chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and Pentagon policy chief, Elbridge Colby.
An Israeli Embassy spokesman in Washington, cited by NBC News, rejected the allegations, describing reports that Israel spies on the United States as “completely false.”
The spokesman said Israeli intelligence activities are focused on the country’s adversaries rather than its allies and denied any intelligence-gathering efforts targeting US government officials.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the reports.
A White House official also dismissed the claims, saying the reports were inaccurate and based on sources with no direct knowledge of the matter.
Trump called Netanyahu ‘f** crazy’: Has their relationship become strained?
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed reports that he used strong language during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was “a little bit perturbed” by Israel’s continued military actions in Lebanon.
In an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday, Trump confirmed reports that he had confronted Netanyahu over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon. Asked whether he had called the Israeli leader “f** crazy”, Trump replied: “I did.”
The exchange comes as Israel continues to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States. On Saturday, at least five people were killed and 22 wounded in two separate Israeli strikes, according to Lebanese authorities.
Despite the reported disagreement, Trump described both himself and Netanyahu as leaders operating in wartime circumstances and maintained that cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem remained intact.