Do Allies Spy On Each Other? What The US-Israel Espionage Row Reveals

Published 10 June 2026 · politics

Do Allies Spy On Each Other? What The US-Israel Espionage Row Reveals Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 15:23 IST US media reports claim

Do Allies Spy On Each Other? What The US-Israel Espionage Row Reveals Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 15:23 IST US media reports claim Israel has been upgraded to a 'critical' counterintelligence threat, but past cases show even close allies have long watched each other. Rapid Read US President Donald Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP file photo) An espionage row has opened between the United States and Israel after US media reports claimed that the Pentagon’s intelligence arm has placed Israel in its highest category of counterintelligence concern. According to reports, the Defense Intelligence Agency upgraded Israel’s threat level from “high" to “critical" over concerns that Israeli intelligence agencies have stepped up efforts to gather information on US officials, military personnel and policy discussions. The reports were first published by NBC News and followed by The New York Times. The US government has denied the reports, while Israel has called them “completely false". The controversy is sensitive because Israel remains one of Washington’s closest military and intelligence partners, with the US providing major military aid, weapons support and diplomatic backing. What Is Israel Accused Of? The central reported allegation is that Israel’s intelligence agencies have allegedly increased efforts to collect information on US military officials, government personnel and policy discussions. According to NBC News, the Defense Intelligence Agency recently raised Israel’s counterintelligence threat level from “high" to “critical". The concern centres on Israeli attempts to gain access to US thinking on Iran at a time when Washington is trying to pursue diplomacy to end the conflict. NYT said, “An intensified Israeli effort to learn about US positions in talks with Iran has crossed a line, according to some American officials." The reported targets include US officials involved in shaping or understanding Washington’s Iran policy. NYT reported that these included Trump envoy and key negotiator Steve Witkoff, Pentagon policy official Elbridge A Colby and one of his deputies, Michael P DiMino IV. The NYT report also referred to incidents in which US defence personnel working in Israel allegedly found software installed on their phones that could tap their communications.

How Have The US And Israel Responded? Israel has denied the allegations. According to NBC News, the Israeli embassy in Washington said it was “completely false" that Israel spies on US government officials or American institutions. “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials," NBC quoted an Israeli embassy spokesperson as saying. A White House official also reportedly dismissed the NBC report, saying the “entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on". Why Is This Row Happening Now? The timing of the report is crucial. The controversy comes against the backdrop of the US-Israel war with Iran, which has now dragged on for more than 100 days. Washington is seeking a diplomatic exit from the conflict, while Israel has taken a harder line and remains opposed to talks that could limit its military freedom against Iran. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have publicly diverged in their approach. Washington wants to extricate itself from the war amid political pressure, while Israel is still pushing to topple the Iranian government, Al Jazeera reported. The Iran talks are therefore at the heart of the matter. Andreas Kreig, a professor at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Israel is “deeply concerned" about the direction of US negotiations with Iran. “From the Israeli perspective, the recent conflict with Iran was effectively a joint US-Israeli war, yet the United States is now in a position to shape the diplomatic endgame," he said. Kreig said Israel’s concern is that Washington could agree to a long-term diplomatic arrangement with Iran that may constrain Israel’s ability to act militarily in the future. “The principal Israeli concern is that Washington could agree to a deal that establishes an enduring diplomatic framework, potentially lasting years or even decades, which would constrain Israeli freedom of military manoeuvre against Iran in the future," he told Al Jazeera. Is Espionage Between Allies Unusual? Not entirely. German intelligence expert Erich Schmidt-Eenboom told DW that even friendly nations regularly conduct intelligence activities against one another.