Netanyahu was interested in Trump's intelligence information: US Intelligence Department Gives Serious Alert, Israel Becomes a Friend Stabbed in the Back; Detectives activated to find out inside the government

Differences between the United States and Israel over Iran are growing. Meanwhile, there is growing concern in the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) that Israel is trying to spy on US officials and the Trump administration to gather internal information. According to a report by NBC News, two current and one former U.S. official said the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has recently upgraded the level of a counter-intelligence threat related to Israel to 'critical'. This is considered to be the agency's most serious alert. This is considered highly unusual between very close allies such as the United States and Israel. However, Israel has denied the allegations. The Israeli embassy says it does not spy on U.S. officials and that its intelligence agencies keep an eye on enemies, not collaborators. Increasing the level of counter-intelligence threat could have the greatest impact on U.S. officials who travel to Israel or have direct contact with Israeli officials. However, intelligence sharing cooperation between the United States and Israel will continue for the time being. A U.S. official told NBC that the U.S. already takes special precautions during the visits of its senior officials to Israel. During this time, US officials avoid using their phones and laptops. Instead they use makeshift mobile phones and separate computers. Often they also avoid discussing sensitive issues in hotel rooms or in places where there may be a threat of surveillance. This is because Israeli intelligence agencies are considered very aggressive in terms of gathering information. However, officials also said that there was no major incident that led to a sudden increase in the danger level. Instead, the decision was made on the basis of a number of incidents and assessments. The controversy comes at a time when Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are at loggerheads over Iran. Trump has been trying to strike a major deal with Iran since the truce in April, while Netanyahu believes Iran will not abide by any deal. Meanwhile, there have been reports of differences between the United States and Israel over military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to reports, Trump and Netanyahu recently had a heated conversation over the phone. Trump later admitted that he had abused the Israeli prime minister. This further fuelled speculation that the two leaders had serious differences over the Middle East strategy. Although the US and Israel are considered to be very close friends, the two countries have a long history of mistrust and espionage at the secret level. US security agencies have raised the alert level about Israel's espionage activities several times in the past and there have been major disputes between the two. 1. The Jonathan Pollard Case (1985) Jonathan Pollard worked for the U.S. Navy's intelligence agency. In 1985, he was accused of giving a number of secret U.S. documents to Israel. Pollard said he wanted to help Israel, but the U.S. considered it a spy. During the investigation, he was trying to take refuge in the Israeli Embassy, but was caught. In 1987, a U.S. court sentenced him to life in prison. The case strained relations between the United States and Israel. Pollard was released on parole in 2015 after nearly 30 years in prison. In 2020, he went to Israel, where he was welcomed like a national hero. The case is still considered one of the largest espionage cases in the United States, in which an American citizen spied for an allied country. This was the first time the United States had raised its counter-intelligence alert to the highest level regarding Israel. 2. The Ben-Ami Kadish Case (2008) Ben-Ami Kadish was a mechanical engineer who had worked for the U.S. Army. In 2008, he was accused of providing several secret U.S. documents to Israel in the 1980s. According to US investigative agencies, the documents included sensitive information related to missile defense systems, fighter jets and nuclear weapons. It was alleged that Kadish had passed on this information to an Israeli contact. Kadish later pleaded guilty to one of the charges and was sentenced in 2009. Although he was not sent to jail due to his age, he was given punishments such as fines and supervision. 3. Stingray Espionage Controversy (2019) In 2019, there was a report in the US media, claiming that suspicious 'Stingray' devices were found around the White House and some sensitive areas of Washington. These fake mobile towers were collecting information from mobile phones in the vicinity. Investigative agencies suspected that Israel might be behind the devices and the purpose was to monitor the movements and conversations of President Trump and his close aides. However, the U.S. government has never publicly said that Israel has been found guilty. Israel, on the other hand, flatly denied the allegations and said it does not spy on the United States.