Senior Israeli officials are claiming that a report published by Politico, which claims that Israel attempted to spy on the White House, was intended to weaken the rapport between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump.
According to a report by Channel 12 Thursday evening citing senior Israeli officials, the report was received in Jerusalem with surprise – and with almost no forewarning, as Politico rushed to publish the claims.
The officials said that despite the report, the White House did not react to the claims, and no urgent calls were held between the two sides.
Turning to Trump’s recent removal of National Security Advisor John Bolton, and the administration’s apparent willingness to set up a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a senior Likud official lamented that the shift vis-à-vis Iran was politically harmful to Netanyahu.
Earlier on Thursday, Politico published a report claiming that an American investigation has found evidence suggesting Israel may have use miniature “StingRay” spying devices to remotely tap into cell phones used at the White House.
Israel vigorously denied the report, however, calling the claims of Israeli spying "a blatant lie."
"There is a longstanding commitment, and a directive from the Israeli government not to engage in any intelligence operations in the US. This directive is strictly enforced without exception," the Prime Minister’s Office said.