Former U.S. officials say CIA considers Israel to be Mideast's biggest spy threat

[Chris]

Former U.S. officials say CIA considers Israel to be Mideast's biggest spy threat
U.S. intelligence agents stationed in Israel report multiple cases of equipment tampering, suspected break ins in recent years; CIA officials tell the Associated Press that Israel may have leaked info that led to the capture of an agent inside Syria's chemical weapons program.
By The Associated Press | Jul.28, 2012 | 5:10 PM | 18

The CIA station chief opened the locked box containing the sensitive equipment he used from his home in Tel Aviv, Israel, to communicate with CIA headquarters in Virginia, only to find that someone had tampered with it. He sent word to his superiors about the break-in. The incident, described to the Associated Press by three former senior U.S. intelligence officials, might have been dismissed as just another cloak-and-dagger incident in the world of international espionage, except that the same thing had happened to the previous station chief in Israel. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that, even in a country friendly to the United States, the CIA was itself being watched. In a separate episode, according to another two former U.S. officials speaking to the Associated Press, a CIA officer in Israel came home to find the food in the refrigerator had been rearranged. In all the cases, the U.S. government believes Israel's security services were responsible.

more..................Former U.S. officials say CIA considers Israel to be Mideast's biggest spy threat - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

[Chris]

Report: CIA Spooked by Israel
CIA sees Israel as "a frustrating ally and a genuine counterintelligence threat," according to Associated Press.
By Gil Ronen
First Publish: 7/28/2012, 11:16 PM

U.S. national security officials consider Israel to be, at times, "a frustrating ally and a genuine counterintelligence threat," an Associated Press investigative report reveals. The report quotes U.S. officials' claims that Israeli agents have carried out intrusions into the homes of CIA Israel station chiefs in the past decade. In addition, it says, "Israel has been implicated in U.S. criminal espionage cases and disciplinary proceedings against CIA officers and blamed in the presumed death of an important spy in Syria for the CIA during the administration of President George W. Bush." As a matter of fact, the CIA considers Israel "its No. 1 counterintelligence threat" in the Middle East, according to current and former officials quoted by AP. A text message Saturday from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the report "false."

more.................Report: CIA Spooked by Israel - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News

[readytogo]

The "former US officials" must be keeping their heads up "where the sun don't shine" if they think that Israel is the "Mideast's biggest spy threat"!

[Carl]

The "former US officials" must be keeping their heads up "where the sun don't shine" if they think that Israel is the "Mideast's biggest spy threat"!

I believe what the CIA has said. Let us not forget the attack on our intelligence ship by Israel during the first Iraqi war.

[readytogo]

Netanyahu flatly denies AP story on Israelis spying on CIA

The Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday denied the content of an Associated Press article suggesting Israeli agents spy on their American colleagues stationed in Israel and constitute a counterintelligence threat to US interests.

In an unusually brief SMS message to Israeli journalists, the media advisers of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: “In response to the report about the CIA, the Prime Minister’s Office states that this a false report.”

Earlier on Saturday, the Associated Press had run an in-depth report quoting anonymous US intelligence officials incriminating members of Israeli security services. The article, which was headlined by AP, “US sees Israel, tight Mideast ally, as spy threat,” described certain instances where Central Intelligence Agency officers stationed in Israel found that their secured locked boxes had been “tampered” with. In a different case, a CIA officer’s fridge had been “rearranged.” In these cases, the article asserts, “the US government believes Israel’s security services were responsible.”

Netanyahu flatly denies AP story on Israelis spying on CIA | The Times of Israel

[mikhen7]

I smell a skunk. Could be total anti-Semitic Propaganda to try and dissuade Americans from being cozy with Israel.

God Bless

[ronen]

I believe what the CIA has said. Let us not forget the attack on our intelligence ship by Israel during the first Iraqi war.

can you elaborate?

i believe him too
but i think israel is spying to obtain the latest data on the iran situation
as opposed to using the info to attack the US or sell it to someone else (as if we have any friends to sell it to other then you)
so the question should be "why is the white house keeping israel in the dark to begin with?"

this whole story has been published by opponents of american israeli friendship
we got those too
sometimes i read in haaretz how we should dump america and pick china
as if china has been waiting for our call

edit: im guessing you meant the liberty in 1967
i dont think there was anything of the sort in 1990

[followerofjesus]

For her own good, I would hope there are Israeli agents keeping a close eye on everyone, including the CIA. I don't think I would be trusting a whole lot of people right now.

[mattfivefour]

Maybe the CIA is jealous because Mossad has much better information and faster!

[Carl]

can you elaborate?

i believe him too
but i think israel is spying to obtain the latest data on the iran situation
as opposed to using the info to attack the US or sell it to someone else (as if we have any friends to sell it to other then you)
so the question should be "why is the white house keeping israel in the dark to begin with?"

this whole story has been published by opponents of american israeli friendship
we got those too
sometimes i read in haaretz how we should dump america and pick china
as if china has been waiting for our call

edit: im guessing you meant the liberty in 1967
i dont think there was anything of the sort in 1990

Ronan your recall is better than mine. Yes it was the Liberty during the 1967 war. You could also be correct about the reason for the spying on our CIA. That certainly seems reasonable. So I will take back my remarks.

[Chris]

Maybe the CIA is jealous because Mossad has much better information and faster!

It might be because the Mossad is the only one with a brain in the Middle East.

[mattfivefour]

[FaithInChrist]

In a separate episode, according to another two former U.S. officials speaking to the Associated Press, a CIA officer in Israel came home to find the food in the refrigerator had been rearranged

Seriously? What spy would leave behind that kind of evidence? Even me, just a regular old stay at home mom, knows the first cardinal rule in spying, which is. Make sure everything looks untouched.

I agree, just trying to discredit Israel, and Romney both, I do like how they threw in an event from the Bush administration to make it appear more "authentic".

I hope any that decide to believe this article, also consider that Israel has a lot at stake. Israel probably should not be completely trusting us, or any country, and if (and I do not believe they did), but if any of their spying caused the death of a CIA agent, it would have been an unintended, unfortunate occurance. Unlike the intentional spewing of classified information that our own President shared in order to glorify his own name.