Report: Israel Is Spying on US Troops at Gaza Monitoring Base in Southern Israel

Israeli operatives are conducting widespread surveillance of US troops and allies at the new US base in southern Israel meant to monitor Gaza, The Guardian reported on Monday.

The report said that the scale of spying was so widespread that the US commander of the base, Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, summoned an Israeli counterpart for a meeting to tell him that “recording has to stop here.” Personnel from other countries at the base have also raised concerns about Israel recording conversations.

The Guardian cited sources who had been briefed on disputes about open and covert recording of meetings and discussions at the base. In response to the report, the IDF said that it “documents and summarizes meetings in which it is present through protocols, as any professional organisation of this nature does in a transparent and agreed upon manner,” but added that the “claim that the IDF is gathering intelligence on its partners in meetings which the IDF is an active participant is absurd.”

The US established the base, officially known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), to monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal, which Israel continues to violate by launching regular attacks against Palestinians inside the Strip. Initially, the US sent 200 troops to the base, though The Guardian reported that dozens had recently left.