TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States does not need enemies as its ally, Israel, is doing the job with its espionage on U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The #B_Team Strikes again,” Zarif tweeted on Friday night, referring to an international group of warmongers, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who according to him have surrounded Trump.

“@realDonaldTrump: With a BFF in the #B_Team — who empties US coffers and takes US foreign policy hostage — SPYING on the US PRESIDENT, America doesn't need enemies,” his tweet read.

Zarif also shared a Politico report on Israel’s espionage activities in the U.S. 

According to the report which cited three former senior U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter, the U.S. government concluded within the past two years that Israel was most likely behind the placement of cellphone surveillance devices that were found near the White House and other sensitive locations around Washington.

But unlike most other occasions when flagrant incidents of foreign spying have been discovered on American soil, the Trump administration did not rebuke the Israeli government, and there were no consequences for Israel’s behavior, one of the former officials said.

The miniature surveillance devices, colloquially known as “StingRays,” mimic regular cell towers to fool cellphones into giving them their locations and identity information. Formally called international mobile subscriber identity-catchers or IMSI-catchers, they also can capture the contents of calls and data use.

The devices were likely intended to spy on Trump, one of the former officials said, as well as his top aides and closest associates — though it’s not clear whether the Israeli efforts were successful.

Responding to report, the U.S. president said he would find it “hard to believe” that the Israelis had placed the devices.

Trump said: “I don’t believe that. No, I don’t think the Israelis were spying on us. I really would find that hard to believe. My relationship with Israel has been great, you look at Golan Heights, you look at Jerusalem – with moving the Embassy to Jerusalem, becoming the capital, you look at even the Iran deal – what’s happened with Iran. Iran is a much different country right now, then it was two-and-a-half years ago. It’s in a much different position. No, I don’t believe that. I wouldn’t believe that story. But, anything is possible, but I don’t believe it.” 

MH/PA