DHAKA: Israel eavesdropped on US Secretary of State John Kerry during doomed peace talks with the Palestinians last year.

German news weekly Der Spiegel reported on Sunday, says The Straits Times.

The article said the Israelis and at least one other secret service listened in on Kerry’s conversations as he tried to mediate, in a development that Der Spiegel said was likely to further strain ties between Israel and the United States.

Kerry regularly spoke by telephone with high-ranking officials throughout the Middle East during the negotiations that finally collapsed earlier this year.

Citing ‘several sources among secret services’, Spiegel said that he used not only secure lines but also normal telephones with satellite connections which were vulnerable to tapping.

BDST: 1536 HRS, AUG 03, 2014