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Damage control: US ‘reassuring’ Israel after Pentagon intel leak

American officials told their Israeli counterparts that the breach is being investigated, ‘reassuring’ them that intelligence secrets are safe with the Pentagon.

By World Israel News Staff

American officials are reaching out to their Israeli counterparts to “reassure” them after an explosive U.S. intelligence leak suggested that Washington spied on Israel, as well as researched how to pressure Jerusalem into abandoning its neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to an Axios report, several Pentagon officials “urged their counterparts in the Israeli Defense Ministry to not overreact” to the leak. American officials also said that they are investigating the source of the breach.

Another highly classified document made public in the leak highlighted U.S. intelligence’s belief that the Mossad – Israel’s storied security agency – was actively involved in encouraging its employees to participate in anti-government protests, and that members of the body were organizing and attending demonstrations without revealing their affiliation with the agency.

After the American report on Mossad involvement in demonstrations was made public, the security agency released a statement vehemently denying the veracity of the document.

“The publication in the American press is completely false and absurd,” the Mossad said.

“The Mossad and its officials did not and do not encourage employees in the organization to go to demonstrations against the government, to political demonstrations in general, or to any political activity.”

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However, Israeli officials have so far remained mum regarding a document which outlined scenarios in which Jerusalem could be forced to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine – a scenario which the Jewish State has tried to avoid since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Eyal Zamir, the director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, is set to visit Washington next week to discuss the leak, Axios reported.

U.S. officials are connecting with their counterparts in allied countries “to reassure them of our commitment to safeguarding intelligence and the fidelity of securing our partnerships,” State Department Spokesman Verdant Patel confirmed in a recent briefing.