Report claims Pentagon raised Israeli espionage threat level amid Trump-Netanyahu tensions

Pentagon has reportedly elevated its assessment of the counter-intelligence threat posed by Israel, with concerns that senior US officials could become targets of surveillance amid growing policy differences between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the conflict involving Iran.

According to an NBC News report, citing two current and one former US official, the Pentagon's Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently upgraded Israel's counter-intelligence threat designation to "critical", the highest level in its internal assessment system.

The report said the review reflected concerns within sections of the US defence establishment that Israel could seek to gather information on internal American deliberations concerning developments in West Asia.

One US official cited by NBC said the United States already employs strict security precautions during official visits to Israel because Israeli intelligence agencies have long been regarded as highly aggressive collectors of information.

Such measures reportedly include the use of temporary computers, burner phones and tightly controlled communications systems during high-level visits.

Current and former diplomats and intelligence officials told NBC that senior US officials often avoid discussing sensitive matters in hotel rooms or other locations considered vulnerable to surveillance while in Israel.

Israel, White House reject claims

Israel strongly denied the allegations.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington described claims that Israel spies on American officials as "completely false".

"Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials," the spokesperson said, adding that Israeli intelligence efforts are focused on adversaries rather than allies.

A White House official also rejected the report, calling it false and questioning the credibility of its sources.

The official said the story was based on information from individuals who did not have knowledge of the matter.

Report cites internal assessment

According to NBC, the DIA circulated an internal notice in recent weeks accompanied by a seven-page assessment examining Israeli intelligence capabilities.

Officials familiar with the document reportedly said it concluded that Israel's capacity for both human intelligence operations and technical surveillance should be regarded as operating at a "critical level".

The report said no single incident was identified as having triggered the reassessment, but cited a number of concerns that contributed to the review.

Current and former officials told NBC that the immediate impact of the classification change would likely involve tighter security precautions for American personnel travelling to Israel or engaging with Israeli counterparts.

However, they said routine intelligence-sharing between the two countries remained unaffected.

Tensions over Iran

The report emerged against the backdrop of increasing friction between Trump and Netanyahu over regional policy and the handling of the conflict involving Iran.

US media reports have suggested recent conversations between the two leaders were marked by disagreements, particularly over Israeli military actions and the broader direction of US policy in the region.

According to Axios, Trump recently expressed frustration with Israeli actions and warned that they were harming Israel's international standing.

Neither the Pentagon nor the DIA has publicly commented on the reported assessment.

The United States and Israel remain close security partners and share extensive intelligence cooperation despite occasional disagreements over regional strategy.