Pentagon designates Israel as a critical intelligence threat

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reportedly upgraded the threat level posed by Israel regarding espionage activities to 'critical' in a seven-page document. American officials cited by NBC News and the New York Times state this decision follows concerns that Israeli intelligence agencies, including Shin Bet, attempted to monitor high-ranking U.S. officials. Targets allegedly include presidential negotiator Steve Witkoff and Pentagon policy official Elbridge Colby. These activities purportedly aim to gain insight into the Trump administration's internal deliberations regarding the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the approach toward Iran. Sources indicate that recent tensions have escalated following a reported heated phone call between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Israeli military actions in Beirut. While both countries have historically tolerated a baseline of mutual intelligence collection, officials describe the current escalation as crossing a red line. No official public confirmation has been issued by either the Pentagon or the Israeli government at this time.