The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency has raised its counterintelligence threat assessment of Israel to “critical,” the highest possible level, amid growing concerns that Israeli espionage against the United States has become more aggressive than usual, NBC News reported, citing two current U.S. officials and one former official.

The White House and Israel both forcefully denied the report. A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington said it is “completely false” that Israel spies on the United States, stating that “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials,” and that Israel’s intelligence collection is aimed at its enemies, not its allies, calling contrary claims misinformed or politically motivated.

A White House official said the entire story is false and “sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.” The Pentagon declined to comment, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment. T

According to the officials cited by NBC, the DIA circulated an internal message in recent weeks raising Israel’s threat level, with the designation stemming from concerns that Israel is making a particular effort to surveil top U.S. officials in order to learn the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East. The assessment reportedly runs seven pages and includes a chart, stating that Israel’s ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a “critical level,” and identifying a series of specific incidents that heightened U.S. concerns.

The New York Times subsequently reported that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the Pentagon’s top policy officer, Elbridge A. Colby, and senior Defense Department official Michael P. DiMino IV were among those targeted.

While it is commonplace for allies and adversaries alike to spy on one another, the current and former officials told NBC that Israel’s recent efforts have gone well beyond typical and expected espionage between allied nations. The officials said it was unclear whether any single incident prompted the change in threat level.

The reported move comes amid friction between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu over the war with Iran and Israeli military operations in Lebanon, including a reportedly tense phone call this past week. According to current and former officials and outside experts, Israel is keenly interested in whether Trump will resume major military strikes on Iran or pursue a negotiated end to the conflict.

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