US raises threat assessment level for Israeli spying of officials to 'critical'
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reportedly raised its counter-intelligence threat assessment for Israel to “critical”, according to US media reports citing two current US officials and one former official.
The reported assessment comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Israel over developments related to Iran and the wider Middle East.
According to the report, the DIA circulated an internal document outlining concerns that Israel was seeking intelligence on the Trump administration’s internal discussions and decision-making regarding regional conflicts.
The assessment reportedly stated that Israel’s capabilities in both human intelligence and technical information collection had reached a “critical level” and cited several incidents that heightened US concerns.
One US official quoted in the report said American personnel already take additional precautions when visiting Israel because the country is “well-known to aggressively collect” intelligence.
Aerial view of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, 31 May 2026 (Daniel Slim/AFP)