US intelligence agencies have accused Israel of monitoring senior members of President Trump’s Iran negotiating team, prompting the DIA to raise Israel’s counter-intelligence threat level to "Critical." The report cites alleged incidents including intercept-capable software on US phones and planted listening devices. Israel’s embassy and the White House have denied the claims. The allegations surfaced amid growing friction over Gaza and divergent US-Israel approaches to Iran.
US Intelligence Says Israel Spied On Trump’s Top Iran Negotiators, DIA Raises Threat Level
Steve Witkoff (left, with Benjamin Netanyahu) is among the top American negotiators allegedly spied on by Israel - X
US defence and military intelligence agencies have warned that Israel conducted surveillance on senior members of Donald Trump’s Iran negotiating team, according to reporting by the New York Times and an assessment led by the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Allegations and Evidence
The DIA assessment, which included contributions from other military intelligence organizations and the Defence Counterintelligence and Security Agency, concluded that Israeli intelligence collection on certain US officials rose to a “critical” counter-intelligence threat level. The assessment named specific targets, including Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s chief negotiator; Elbridge Colby, a senior Pentagon policy official; and Michael DiMino, a senior Middle East adviser.
Reported incidents cited by US officials include the discovery of software on US defence personnel’s mobile phones that could intercept communications, alleged planting of listening devices at DIA headquarters in 2021, and an attempted placement of a listening device in a US Secret Service vehicle last year. American officials said the number of counter-intelligence incidents increased in late 2024 and continued into 2025 as tensions over Gaza and debates over responses to Iran intensified.
Khan Yunis in Gaza. Israel allegedly spied on the US after the Biden administration put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to limit his war on Hamas - Mohammed Eslayeh/Anadolu via Getty
How Vulnerabilities Occurred
US officials told reporters that some senior members of the Trump administration exposed themselves to surveillance risks by using personal mobile phones for official business, traveling on private aircraft, or declining local embassy support during foreign trips. One senior official described the scale of the collection as "unhinged." The DIA reportedly raised Israel’s counter-intelligence threat rating from "High" to "Critical" after cataloguing these incidents.
Responses From Israel and US Officials
A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington called the allegations "completely false," saying: "Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials. Israel intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies." The Pentagon declined to comment publicly on the assessment, and the White House issued a statement calling the report "false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on."
Context and Implications
The alleged spying claims come amid strong military cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem, including close operational ties between Israeli officers and US Central Command. Still, differences over strategy toward Iran — with the Trump administration pursuing diplomacy and Israel favoring a more confrontational approach — have added strain to the relationship. A recent Israel Democracy Institute poll found that 64% of Jewish Israelis and 48.5% of Arab Israelis viewed ending the Iran war as incompatible with Israel’s security interests, and 51% believed the US administration had greater influence over Israel’s defence decisions than Israel’s own government.
Note: The claims reported here are based on media reporting and a leaked assessment reportedly circulated within US agencies. Both the Israeli embassy and the White House have publicly denied the allegations.
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