U.S. intelligence agencies have recently heightened concerns over Israeli espionage activities targeting American officials engaged in sensitive negotiations with Iran. Intelligence reports indicate that Israel has intensified efforts to intercept communications of key U.S. policymakers involved in the peace talks, a move seen by some U.S. officials as surpassing previously accepted boundaries between allied intelligence operations.
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), together with other military intelligence bodies, upgraded Israel’s counterintelligence threat ranking from high to critical. Their assessments highlight multiple incidents in which Israeli agents attempted to gather information from U.S. military and government personnel, including covert attempts to install eavesdropping software on phones used by defense staff stationed in Israel.
This escalation comes amid unprecedented military coordination between the two countries, notably within U.S. Central Command, where American and Israeli officers collaborate closely and share extensive tactical intelligence. Despite this cooperation, U.S. officials express concern that Israel’s intensified espionage aims to uncover shifting American strategies and negotiation positions toward Iran.
Among the individuals reportedly targeted are Steve Witkoff, a chief U.S. negotiator, as well as senior Defense Department figures such as Elbridge A. Colby and Michael P. DiMino IV. The new intelligence warnings risk straining deeper military integration efforts and could prompt the Pentagon to impose tighter controls on information shared with Israeli counterparts.
These tensions unfold against a backdrop of divergent U.S. and Israeli approaches to Iran. While the Trump administration pursues a diplomatic resolution, Israeli leadership under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to undermine Iran’s influence and targets its proxies, especially Hezbollah. This strategic divide complicates cooperation despite the shared interest in countering Iranian threats.
The Defense Department declined to comment on the specific allegations. Meanwhile, a White House official and the Israeli Embassy in Washington both denied any Israeli espionage against U.S. personnel. The embassy emphasized that Israel does not spy on American officials or entities.