The Defence Department has increased the counterintelligence threat assessment to its highest level, with Israel believed to have eavesdropped on American negotiations with Iran, according to recent US intelligence reports. The Defence Intelligence Agency report, written by military intelligence offices and contributed to by the Defence Counterintelligence and Security Agency, outlines various efforts by Israel to spy on American military personnel and government officials. The report details that counterintelligence incidents began increasing in late 2024, as the Biden administration pressed Israel to curb its attacks on Gaza, and continued into 2025, as the Trump administration weighed options to attack Iran. The warning comes at an especially sensitive time as Israel and the US have been fighting the war against Iran together, with Israeli military officers working side-by-side with their American counterparts at US Central Command.
Recent intelligence reports have raised concerns about Israeli spy agencies eavesdropping on American negotiators working on a peace deal with Iran, with specific focus on Steve Witkoff, President Trump's top negotiator, Elbridge A. Colby, the Pentagon's top policy official, and one of his main deputies, Michael P. DiMino IV. The Defence Intelligence Agency report was drafted after incidents in which American defence personnel in Israel detected that software to tap their communications had been surreptitiously installed on their phones. Historical episodes include Israeli military intelligence officers caught planting listening devices at D.I.A. headquarters in 2021, and Shin Bet officers discovered trying to plant a listening device in a Secret Service vehicle last year. The aggressiveness of Israeli intelligence collection on top US officials during the second Trump administration has been described as "unhinged" by senior officials.
Israel allegedly operated covert military and intelligence sites in Azerbaijan near Iran's border, supporting drone and surveillance missions during its war with Iran, according to a CNN report citing four sources familiar with the matter. The deployment included several dozen personnel from Israel's special operations forces, elite heliborne combat and rescue force, and Mossad personnel. Israeli forces operated from multiple locations in southern Azerbaijan near Iran's northern border, with some positions located roughly 100 kilometers (approximately 62 miles) from the Iranian city of Tabriz, which was targeted during the conflict. As per CNN, special commando units were also deployed to the location and carried out intelligence-gathering missions and drone operations, giving Israel a valuable perch from which to see into northern Iran during the war. The Azerbaijan operation was part of a wider network of covert positions that reportedly included sites in Iraq, the UAE and Somaliland.
The US military is sharing huge amounts of tactical and operational information with its Israeli counterparts, but senior American officials said that Israel is looking for insights into Trump's strategy and shifting stances on peace talks. Two senior US military officials said that American personnel, particularly those serving in Israel or with Israeli counterparts, were well aware of the counterintelligence risks before the new report. At the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, Israel, American and Israeli military and diplomatic personnel work side-by-side to enforce the Gaza cease-fire and facilitate humanitarian efforts, but the building has separate floors for each country where personnel can discuss most sensitive topics. The tendency of senior Trump administration officials to use private aircraft, conduct national security business on personal phones, and reject staffing from US embassies abroad made them especially vulnerable targets for spy services.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington also disputed claims that Israel poses a counterintelligence threat, saying that Israel does not spy on American officials or entities. A White House official, speaking on the condition their name not be used, said the account was false. However, current and former US officials acknowledge that Israel's counterintelligence threat level is now higher than any other ally and higher than some adversarial countries, with only South Korea approaching the concern with Israel's espionage efforts. The Defence Department declined to comment on the intelligence reports. Azerbaijan denied the claims, with a spokesperson for the country's embassy in Washington telling CNN: "We firmly reject unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan's territory for operations against third countries."
