Hyderabad, June 8 -- The Pentagon's military intelligence arm has raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to "critical," its highest possible designation, amid growing alarm that Israeli spy agencies are aggressively monitoring senior American officials to extract information about the Trump administration's internal deliberations on ending the war with Iran.

NBC News first reported the development on Friday, June 5. The New York Times followed with its own account the next day, adding significant new detail. Both outlets cited current and former US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

What the assessment says

The assessment, which was circulated internally in recent weeks, includes a seven-page document ...