Israeli officials said on Saturday they were not surprised by allegations the United States and Britain had spied on their leaders.
Leaked documents from former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden published on Friday showed the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ had targeted an email address listed as belonging to the Israeli prime minister and monitored emails of senior defense officials.
"Our working assumption is that not only Arab states but also world powers, including friendly ones, try to follow us," Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel's Channel 2 television.
Israel always takes the necessary precautions and secret information is never transmitted over regular phones and email systems, he added.
Steinitz emphasized the close intelligence ties between Israel and the two countries.
MNA
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