Trump-Netanyahu Rift Deepens? US Officials Carry Burner Phones In Israel Amid Spying Fears

Last Updated:June 06, 2026, 12:03 IST

Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to the highest level, described as "critical".

Are the allies spying on each other? Months after the United States and Israel carried out a joint military operation in Iran, signs of strain have emerged between the two allies. According to NBC News, the Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to the highest level, described as “critical". The decision comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv over the future course of the war with Iran.

Two current US officials and one former official told NBC News that the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently circulated an internal message outlining the change.

The move was prompted by concerns within the Pentagon that Israel is making a targeted effort to monitor senior US officials in order to gather intelligence about the Trump administration’s internal discussions and decisions relating to conflicts in the Middle East.

Internal assessment details concerns

According to one current US official, the DIA assessment includes a seven-page document and a detailed chart. The document reportedly states that Israel’s ability to conduct both human intelligence operations and technical information collection has reached a “critical level".

The official said the assessment also identifies several specific incidents that contributed to growing concerns inside the US defence establishment.

Israel rejects allegations

Israel has strongly denied the claims. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington described the report as “completely false". “Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that Israeli intelligence efforts are focused on enemies rather than allies and said allegations suggesting otherwise were either based on misinformation or politically motivated. The Pentagon declined to comment on the report. A White House official also dismissed the claims. “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on," the official said.

Trump and Netanyahu differ on Iran strategy

The heightened alert comes at a time when differences have emerged between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over developments in the Middle East. The two leaders have reportedly disagreed over the war with Iran and Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

According to the report, the issue led to a tense telephone conversation between the two leaders this week. Trump later acknowledged that he had called Netanyahu “crazy" during the exchange.

Questions have since emerged over whether Washington and Tel Aviv are beginning to pursue different objectives in the region. Since a ceasefire came into effect in early April, Trump has focused on securing a diplomatic agreement with Iran aimed at ending the conflict that the US and Israel launched on February 28.

Israel, however, has publicly expressed doubts that Iran would honour any negotiated agreement.

Netanyahu has advocated for renewed bombing operations against Iran and has also disagreed with Trump’s calls to reduce attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trust concerns despite close alliance

Current and former US officials, as well as outside experts, said Israel is closely watching whether Trump decides to restart large-scale military operations against Iran or move towards ending the conflict.

One current US official said the US already takes additional security precautions during official visits to Israel. “They’re well-known to aggressively collect," the official said.

According to the officials, senior US representatives often use burner phones and computers and are extremely cautious while speaking in hotel rooms during trips to Israel.

Although the United States and Israel remain close allies and their intelligence agencies have worked together for decades, former officials warned that concerns about possible Israeli espionage at a time of disagreement over Iran could damage trust between the two governments.

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