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DIA raises threat to critical
The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency has raised the assessed threat level on Israeli spying on the United States from “high” to “critical” in recent weeks, according to US media cited by Al Jazeera.
“The Pentagon’s intelligence arm has raised the assessed threat level on Israeli spying from “high” to “critical” in recent weeks, according to US media”
NBC News first broke the change on Friday, and The New York Times issued its own report the following day, with both outlets citing anonymous sources about the shift.
Al Jazeera says the DIA raised the alert level amid concerns about increasingly aggressive tactics tied to the US-Israeli war with Iran, including fears that Israel is attempting to surveil top US officials.
The New York Times reported that the DIA cited an uptick in activities beginning in late 2024, as the administration of US President Joe Biden increased pressure on Israel over its war in Gaza.
Al Jazeera adds that an unnamed spokesperson told NBC News and The New York Times that the reports were “false.”
Targets and denials
The New York Times reported that Pentagon reports include concerns that Israel stepped up efforts to monitor senior US officials, including Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, as well as Elbridge Colby and Michael P DiMino IV, according to Ynetnews.
Ynetnews says US officials told The New York Times that raising the Israeli espionage threat level to “critical” could lead the Pentagon to impose new restrictions on information-sharing with Israeli officers.
The Times of Israel reports that a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, said in a statement to NBC that it is “completely false” that Israel spies on the US.
In the same Times of Israel account, a White House official said in a statement, “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”
The Times of Israel also says the Pentagon declined to comment, while NBC reported the threat-level reassessment was tied to tensions between Trump and Netanyahu over the direction of wars in Iran and Lebanon.
What changes next
NBC News reports that the most practical outcome for the Pentagon is that US officials will use extra caution when traveling to Israel or visiting with Israeli officials, citing current and former US officials.
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NBC News says the DIA assessment includes a seven-page document and features a chart, and that the document says Israel’s ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a “critical level.”
The Times of Israel reports that the assessment includes a seven-page document describing specific incidents that raised US concern, while officials told NBC it was unclear whether any single incident prompted the increase.
NBC News adds that there did not appear to be any impact on the high-level intelligence-sharing that occurs on a daily basis between the two countries, particularly associated with the Iran war.
Al Jazeera frames the broader context as the US Congress debating a section of a new defence bill that would integrate US and Israeli research and development for weaponry to an unprecedented degree, while the US and Israel publicly diverge on the war’s direction.
