Israel is likely to have planted mobile phone spying devices near the White House and other sensitive locations in the US capital over the past two years, according to a report from Politico that cited three former US officials.
The miniature surveillance devices mimic telecommunications towers to gather information, including the contents of phone calls. The US government concluded Israeli operatives were most likely to have put them in place to spy on Donald Trump and his associates, the news website reported.
One of the three former intelligence and national security officials, none of whom were identified in the article, said the Trump administration – which describes itself as the most pro-Israel US government in history – did not rebuke its ally.