Snowden documents show UK and US governments spied on Israel

Documents released by former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor, Edward Snowden, have revealed that the British and US governments spied on the Israeli military for 18 years. The two countries reportedly accessed a supposedly secure aircraft under a programme called Anarchist. This provided them with the opportunity to monitor Israeli drone technology, watching the country’s conduct in Gaza, and analysing its activity regarding Iranian nuclear sites. A document from the UK's intelligence agency, GCHQ, in 2008 states: “This access is indispensable for maintaining an understanding of Israeli military training and operations and thus an insight to possible future developments in the region.” Speaking about the issue, an observer said: “I don’t think the news will have a significant impact on trust between the USA and Israel…Israeli intelligence is widely alleged to spy on Israel’s allies – that the reverse is true can hardly be surprising.”

The British government has been hacking into Israeli military jets and drones for 18 years after bypassing their security, according to secret documents released by Edward Snowden.

According to the Jewish News, GCHQ and the NSA snooped on the Israelis during military operations over Gaza and Lebanon after accessing its supposedly-secure aircraft in a top-secret programme called ‘Anarchist’.

Through Anarchist, the Americans and British kept tabs on the Israelis for years, monitoring their drone technology, watching their conduct over Gaza and even analysing their activity vis-a-vis Iranian nuclear sites and personnel.

A 2008 GCHQ document reads: “This access is indispensable for maintaining an understanding of Israeli military training and operations and thus an insight to possible future developments in the region. In times of crisis this access is critical and one of the only avenues to provide up to the minute information and support to U.S. and Allied operations in the area.”

In an email to Infosecurity, Sean Sullivan, security advisor at F-Secure Labs, said: “Given the strained relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama – I don’t think the news will have a significant impact on trust between the USA and Israel.

“Israeli intelligence is widely alleged to spy on Israel’s allies – that the reverse is true can hardly be surprising.”