Pentagon Raises Israel Spy Threat to Highest Level

The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat level for Israel to its highest level, according to multiple U.S. media reports on Saturday, June 6, 2026. The Defense Intelligence Agency designated Israel's "ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection" as reaching a "critical level," citing concerns that Israel attempted to spy on senior U.S. officials to gain insight into the Trump administration's internal deliberations on Middle East conflicts. The New York Times reported alleged Israeli efforts to monitor Trump's chief negotiator Steve Witkoff and Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby. The escalation comes amid deteriorating relations between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following their joint strikes on Iran on February 28. Trump confirmed using profanity during a phone call with Netanyahu, telling the New York Post he was "a little bit perturbed" by Israel's continued military actions in Lebanon, and acknowledging he called the Israeli leader "f** crazy." The dispute arose over Israel's threats to bomb Beirut, which the U.S. feared would undermine ongoing talks with Tehran. The Israeli Embassy in Washington rejected the espionage allegations as "completely false," stating that Israeli intelligence activities target the country's adversaries rather than its allies. Both the Pentagon and a White House official declined to comment or dismissed the reports as inaccurate. The development highlights growing friction between the two allies even as they maintain military cooperation against Iran.