From the Daily Alert, summarizing/quoting the WSJ for one of many sources:
President Barack Obama announced two years ago he would curtail eavesdropping on friendly heads of state. But behind the scenes, the White House decided to keep certain allies under close watch, current and former U.S. officials said. Topping the list was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The National Security Agency's targeting of Israeli leaders and officials also swept up the contents of some of their private conversations with U.S. lawmakers and American-Jewish groups.
This account, stretching over two terms of the Obama administration, is based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former U.S. intelligence and administration officials and reveals for the first time the extent of American spying on the Israeli prime minister. One tool was a cyber implant in Israeli networks that gave the NSA access to communications within the Israeli prime minister's office. (Wall Street Journal)
And to speculate about the answer to my question in the title to this post, I would be surprised if the US doesn't at least try to spy on the the leaders and gubmnts of the other countries. And, if they do, why do we not read about it (or have I not been reading it in the places that I read the news?)?
Indeed the Daily Alert carries this addition:
But at the same time, why does the algorithm for Typepad (my blogging tool and host) not provide any links to such articles for me to include at the bottom of this post. In fact that algorithm doesn't even include links to articles about the US spying on Israel's leaders.See also Amidror: "The U.S. Listens In on Everyone"
Former Israeli national security adviser Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror told Army Radio the allegations of U.S. spying were unsurprising. "The U.S. listens in on everyone; we don't need to get excited about it. Everyone knows - it's a fact," he sa! id. "Israel is careful not to carry out any spying operations in the United States, not even a little bit." (Times of Israel)
See also below Commentary: The Phone Call that Upended U.S.-Israel Relations - Patrick O'Connor and Adam Entous (Wall Street Journal)