Israel conducting surveillance of US and allies at southern command centre: Report

Israel is conducting such extensive surveillance at a new US command centre in southern Israel that US forces and allies have expressed concern, according to a report in The Guardian on Monday.

The Israeli military has been openly and covertly recording meetings and discussions at the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in the town of Kiryat Gat, which is 12 miles from the Gaza frontier, the report says.

The US commander of the CMCC, Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, summoned his Israeli counterpart to tell him that “recording has to stop here”, according to sources briefed on disputes about the recordings.

Staff and visitors from other countries - who were not identified in the report - have also expressed concern about Israel’s intelligence-gathering inside the CMCC.