Several media outlets report that an anonymous source from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) leaked internal information indicating that the Pentagon has elevated Israel to the highest category of counterintelligence threat. The change was reportedly made because Israel has significantly expanded intelligence activities against the United States. The US government has denied the reports; Israel has called them "completely false."
The reports are causing a stir in Washington, where Israel remains one of the closest partners for the United States, highlighting a decades-old issue: mutual distrust regarding intelligence activities carried out by strategic allies.
Historic distrust
In Germany, the news brings to mind a remark made by then Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2013 after it became known that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been monitoring her cellphone: "Spying on friends is never acceptable," Merkel said. Shortly thereafter, however, it became known that the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, had also been spying on allied countries, governments and institutions for decades.
German intelligence expert Erich Schmidt-Eenboom said even friendly nations spied on one another regularly. In his view, this applies especially to the United States and Israel. "There have been repeated Mossad operations in the United States as part of the fight against international terrorism that were not coordinated with the FBI. Conversely, Israel has always been an interesting target for the National Security Agency's electronic surveillance, especially during all wars," he said.The NSA in the US, and the Mossad in Israel have been spying on each other for decadesImage: NSA/dpa/picture alliance
