The New York Times reported Saturday evening on the alleged Israeli espionage affair involving the United States, after NBC News reported Friday that the Pentagon had raised the threat level posed by Israeli spying to "critical."
According to The New York Times, Pentagon reports include concerns that Israel has stepped up efforts to monitor senior U.S. officials, including Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, as well as Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy adviser, and one of his principal deputies, Michael DiMino.
It is not entirely clear why Colby, who oversees Pentagon policy, would be a target, but he is among the most prominent advocates within the administration for a more restrained foreign policy. DiMino oversees Pentagon policy on the Middle East, making him a figure of natural interest to Israel.
U.S. officials told The New York Times that Israel is seeking insight into Trump's strategy and his shifting positions regarding peace talks with Iran. They said that raising the Israeli espionage threat level to "critical" could lead the Pentagon to impose new restrictions on information-sharing with Israeli officers.
According to the newspaper, the Pentagon report was drafted following incidents in which U.S. security personnel in Israel discovered that surveillance software had been secretly installed on their phones. Two senior U.S. military officials said American teams, particularly those serving in Israel or working closely with Israeli counterparts, were well aware of counterintelligence risks even before the release of the new report. They said U.S. personnel follow a range of security procedures and protocols to address the threat and protect their cellphones and other electronic devices, especially while traveling in Israel.
The report by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's military intelligence arm, said Israeli espionage incidents increased in late 2024, when former President Joe Biden's administration was pressing Israel to curb its military operations in Gaza. The activity allegedly continued into 2025, as the Trump administration weighed options for a potential strike on Iran.
The report pointed to a 2021 incident in which Israeli military intelligence officers were allegedly caught planting a listening device at DIA headquarters. It also said that last year Shin Bet officers were found to have attempted to plant a listening device in a U.S. Secret Service vehicle. While the DIA document does not explicitly address talks with Iran, other recent intelligence reports have raised concerns that Israelis have been monitoring Witkoff and other senior negotiators during the negotiations.
One U.S. official told The New York Times that the tendency of some senior Trump administration officials to travel on private aircraft, conduct national security business on their personal phones and decline support from U.S. Embassy teams abroad has made them "especially vulnerable" targets for the intelligence services of both allies and adversaries. Other current officials also acknowledged that the use of personal cellphones by senior U.S. officials had made them an "easy target for surveillance."
The White House and Israel have denied the reports. However, a senior official quoted by The New York Times said the aggressiveness of Israeli intelligence-gathering efforts targeting senior officials in the second Trump administration had been "unrestrained."
Just two weeks ago, Israeli security officials told The New York Times that Israel had been pushed aside "completely" by the Trump administration, to the point that its leaders were barely involved in U.S.-Iran ceasefire discussions. "Lacking information from their closest ally, the Israelis were forced to learn what they could about contacts between Washington and Tehran through their ties with regional leaders and diplomats," the report said.
First published: 21:43, 06.06.26