| THE LIE Israel’s aggressive spying on U.S. officials has prompted the Pentagon to raise its counterterrorism threat assessment of Israel to the highest level. |
| THE TRUTH Claims that Israel aggressively spies on the United States have been denied by both American and Israeli officials. |
| BACKGROUND On June 6, 2026, the New York Times and NBC News published reports alleging that U.S. officials are concerned about a counterintelligence threat from Israel, which they claimed is aggressively spying on American officials. (New York Times), (NBC News) The reports further alleged that the Pentagon has elevated its counterintelligence threat assessment of Israel to the highest level.The stories were quickly amplified by known Israel critics, including former counterterrorism official Joe Kent, who argued that “Israel survives on our defense funding & diplomatic top cover” and that Israel would “keep playing us as fools” until the U.S. withdraws its support. (Joe Kent) |
| TRUTH EXPLAINED Neither the New York Times nor NBC News appear to have reviewed any actual documents. Both outlets based their explosive reporting solely on unnamed officials, a glaring lapse in basic journalistic standards. (New York Times), (NBC News) Both governments called the story outright false. The White House and the Israeli government publicly rejected the reporting as false. (New York Times), (NBC News) The reports contain no evidence of a breach. The articles did not cite any forensic findings or concrete proof of spying — only vague, unverified “concerns.” (New York Times), (NBC News) Critics who spread the story hid the White House denial. Commentators like Joe Kent shared screenshots of the reporting while deliberately cropping out the administration’s clear and direct rebuttal. (Joe Kent) Joe Kent’s central claim is factually flawed. He argues that Israel spies on the United States because America funds Israel, a claim that makes little logical sense to begin with. More importantly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has himself called for ending the $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military assistance, which shows Israel is not dependent on that aid. (Daily Wire) The timing points to a political motive. Foreign policy experts believe the story was deliberately leaked to kill Section 224 of the 2027 NDAA — a provision that would expand U.S.-Israel military cooperation. Anti-Israel officials like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) have vowed to block Section 224 — and this unverified leak gives them the political ammunition to do so. (Ynet News), (Israel Truth Network) |
| QUOTES “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.” — The White House“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. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or politically motivated.” — Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. |
| TAKEAWAY Two major news outlets ran an incendiary story with no documents, no evidence, and no named sources, only to have it immediately and unequivocally rejected by both the White House and the Israeli government — denials that the story’s loudest amplifiers took care to hide. The real counterintelligence threat here isn’t coming from Jerusalem, but from U.S. officials who appear to have deliberately leaked disinformation to a compliant press in order to sabotage a defense partnership that serves American interests. |
