Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bug Boris Johnson's bathroom? Here's what the ex-UK PM is saying

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed that his staff discovered a "listening device" in his personal bathroom after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had visited in 2017, when Johnson was serving as foreign secretary. Johnson said that, following a routine security sweep, the device was found in what he referred to as the "thunderbox." He hinted that more details about the incident would be revealed in his upcoming book, Unleashed, stating, "everything you need to know about that episode is in the book."

Israel and bugging: A long story

The Telegraph also noted that Israel had been accused of placing surveillance devices in the White House around the same period. U.S. officials reportedly believed that Israel was behind the placement of cellphone surveillance equipment found near the White House and other sensitive locations in Washington, D.C. The Israeli Embassy in London has been contacted for comment on the matter.

Did UK rebuke Israel for bugging Johnson?

Interestingly, Johnson was at the time a foreign secretary, and routine sweeps kept happening, looking at the kind of confidentiality and importance his work entailed. During such a routine sweep, a strange thing happened, and a powerful bug was found in the thunderbox. However, looking at the fact that Israel are allies with UK at the geopolitical level, it is still unclear what were the real repercussions to this industry.


White House had, back then concluded extensively that the bugs placed inside their premises were the handiwork of the Israelis, making things quite clear for the UK, as things happened during a similar timeline.

FAQs:

Is the Israel known for its spy rings?
Yes, Israel has some of the best covert and overt operatives in the world, with Mossad, its intelligence unit, once of the finest information gathering agency in the world.

Is Mossad better than Israel?
In some fronts, Mossad is quite ahead of Israel, especially in intel gathering in the Middle East, where US is sometimes forced to seek Israeli help in uncovering intelligence.