A wave of recent reporting and newly released documents detailing the relationship between former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Jeffrey Epstein has reignited claims that Epstein worked for Israel’s Mossad, a theory Israeli intelligence sources and senior political leaders are forcefully rejecting.

Ex-Israeli intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that Epstein never worked for Mossad, describing the allegation as baseless and inconsistent with how the agency operates.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly pushed back on the claims, writing on X: "Jeffrey Epstein's unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn't suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite."

PRINCESS SOFIA OF SWEDEN BREAKS SILENCE ON EPSTEIN ENCOUNTERS AFTER DOJ FILE RELEASE

In the same post, Netanyahu escalated his criticism, writing: "Stuck on his election loss from over two decades ago, Barak has for years obsessively attempted to undermine Israeli democracy by working with the anti-Zionist radical left in failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government."

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also sharply dismissed the accusations, writing: "As a former Israeli Prime Minister, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100% certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad ran a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false. Epstein’s conduct, both the criminal and the merely despicable, had nothing whatsoever to do with the Mossad or the State of Israel. Epstein never worked for the Mossad."

Ex-Mossad director Yossi Cohen also rejected the claims in a podcast interview with The Free Press, saying Epstein had "absolutely nothing" to do with the Mossad — "not an agent, not an operative, nothing."

The strong denials come amid renewed scrutiny of emails, financial records and communications included in U.S. Justice Department materials and other public reporting, none of which indicate that Epstein cooperated with Israeli intelligence.

Barak, who served as prime minister from 1999 to 2001 and later as defense minister in Netanyahu’s government, has become one of Netanyahu’s most vocal political opponents. 

PRINCE WILLIAM’S ENVIRONMENTAL CHARITY REPORTED OVER PARTNER’S EPSTEIN TIES

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Barak’s office fired back, describing Netanyahu’s remarks as politically motivated and reiterating that he regrets ever meeting Epstein while denying any wrongdoing.

"Barak has repeatedly and publicly stated that he regrets ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein. There is no credible allegation—none—that Barak engaged in any illegal or inappropriate conduct," the statement said.

Barak’s office also called Netanyahu’s attacks "the desperate acts of a failed and panicked politician" and "a pathetic attempt to divert attention from his catastrophic record," accusing the prime minister of attempting to shift blame for national failures.

Newly surfaced materials continue to document Barak’s personal and professional interactions with Epstein, including stays at Epstein’s New York apartment and meetings arranged through the financier.

EXCLUSIVE: EPSTEIN EMAILS RELEASED AS DOJ SAYS NO CRIMINAL OR INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT BY TRUMP

Emails cited in document releases describe the apartment as being used by Barak and his then-wife during visits to the United States, with staff coordinating logistics and maintenance requests tied to the property.

Other communications referenced financial ties and introductions facilitated by Epstein, including meetings with prominent business figures, as well as broader correspondence and internal notes referencing allegations, warnings and speculation surrounding Epstein’s activities.

Barak has acknowledged meeting Epstein multiple times and said he regrets the association. In a previous interview, he said he never witnessed improper behavior and never participated in anything illegal.

"At times during my occasional visits to the United States, I was sometimes a participant in a breakfast or lunch or dinner at his New York townhouse, together with respected American public figures," Barak said. "At no point in my dealings with him did I ever witness any improper behavior, and I certainly never participated in anything like that."

The Department of War (DOW) said Sunday that U.S. forces interdicted a vessel in the Indo-Pacific after it attempted to evade a quarantine order issued by the Trump administration.

In a statement on X, the DOW said the Veronica III was boarded without incident while it was operating in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.

"The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine — hoping to slip away. We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this," the government account wrote.

"International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice," it added. "The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain."

US MILITARY SEIZES ANOTHER FUGITIVE OIL TANKER LINKED TO VENEZUELA

The Veronica III is the latest in a series of high-profile maritime seizures by the U.S. military aimed at enforcing sanctions and curbing the export of Venezuelan oil.

President Donald Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela in mid-December, as Washington increased its naval presence in the Caribbean to put pressure on now-former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

According to OpenSanctions, the Veronica III is listed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals sanctions list.

US COAST GUARD PURSUES THIRD ‘DARK FLEET’ OIL TANKER AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELAN SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK

The tanker, a large crude oil carrier built in 2006 and flagged in Panama, has been linked to the transport of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of sanctioned Iranian oil and is affiliated with a Chinese ship-management company that has also been sanctioned.

OpenSanctions notes that the ship has previously sailed under different names and flags as part of efforts to evade sanctions and disguise its activities at sea.

The Veronica III was among the vessels sanctioned by Treasury in December 2024 as part of a broader action targeting 35 other entities and tankers involved in transporting illicit Iranian oil to foreign markets.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz is calling for sweeping reform at the world body, placing the fight against antisemitism at the top of the agenda as the Trump administration pushes for changes across the institution.

In an exclusive on-camera interview, Waltz argued that confronting antisemitism should be a central pillar of any overhaul of the U.N., alongside a broader return to what he described as the organization’s core mission of peace and security.

"The U.N. has an atrocious history and record when it comes to antisemitism. Number one, it's a cesspool for antisemitism in many ways," Waltz said. "This administration is determined to fight it."

TRUMP ADMIN WEIGHS TERRORISM SANCTIONS AGAINST UN PALESTINIAN AID AGENCY OVER HAMAS ALLEGATIONS

He framed the issue as both urgent and historic, linking rising global antisemitism and the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks to what he said must be a renewed commitment inside international institutions.

"We have to live up to the mantra of never again," Waltz said. "As we see antisemitism on the rise around the world… after October 7th, in particular, we have to live up to that mantra."

Waltz pointed to Holocaust remembrance and survivor testimony as essential tools in combating denial and historical revisionism, saying education must be central to any U.N. response.

"It's about education. It's about fighting back on these ridiculous denials of the Holocaust," he said. "But most importantly, while we still have them, it's about hearing from the survivors and hearing their personal stories."

He added that U.N. forums should elevate survivor testimony rather than political messaging.

"My recommendation to the U.N. is, get the diplomats and the politicians out of the way, let's just hear from the survivors because their stories are compelling, they are tragic, they need to be heard and documented, and they certainly can't ever be denied," Waltz said.

The ambassador’s remarks come as the administration calls for broader structural reform at the United Nations, including changes to how it approaches development aid, humanitarian operations and leadership.

WALTZ TO ROOT OUT ANTISEMITISM, ELIMINATE 'WOKE' PROGRAMS, GET 'BACK TO BASICS' AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Waltz said Washington wants to see a more focused institution centered on conflict prevention and peacekeeping, with less reliance on traditional aid frameworks.

"I see, and I think what the president sees, is a much more focused U.N. that we have taken back to the basics of promoting peace and security around the world and enforcing peace when conflict breaks out through its peacekeeping forces," he said.

The push for reform comes against the backdrop of longstanding criticism from U.S. officials and watchdog groups over how Israel is treated within the U.N. system and concerns about antisemitism linked to some U.N.-affiliated bodies.

UNRWA, the U.N. agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, has faced mounting scrutiny in recent years. Reports by education monitoring organizations documented content in materials used in UNRWA-linked classrooms that delegitimizes Israel or includes antisemitic themes.

Media investigations after Oct. 7 further intensified attention on the agency, with allegations involving staff and militant ties triggering donor freezes and internal probes.

An independent review commissioned by the United Nations acknowledged neutrality challenges and recommended stronger oversight and vetting mechanisms.

ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU DEMANDS WESTERN GOVERNMENTS ACT TO BATTLE ANTISEMITISM: 'HEED OUR WARNINGS'

Beyond UNRWA, critics have pointed to structural patterns across the U.N. system. Israel remains the only country assigned a permanent agenda item at the U.N. Human Rights Council, mandating discussion at every session.

At the General Assembly, Israel has frequently been the subject of more country-specific resolutions than any other state in many annual sessions.

Successive U.S. administrations have described that focus as disproportionate.

U.N. officials reject the characterization of institutional antisemitism, arguing that scrutiny reflects the scale and duration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and humanitarian concerns, and pointing to reforms underway within agencies including UNRWA.

Waltz said confronting antisemitism must remain a priority as the U.N. prepares for leadership changes and debates over its future direction. He placed combating antisemitism within that broader reform push, alongside other policy priorities and future leadership decisions at the world body.

"So those are just some of the things in addition to… taking on antisemitism… getting… good, strong leadership in the U.N. going forward that we hope to get done during our time here." 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday blasted the idea of a "world without borders," warning European leaders that unchecked mass migration is destabilizing Western civilization and eroding national sovereignty.

Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, Rubio criticized the post-Cold War belief that the world had reached the "end of history" — an era in which liberal democracy would spread, and national borders would fade — calling it a "dangerous delusion."

"This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature, and it ignored the lessons of over 5000 years of recorded human history, and it has cost us dearly," Rubio said.

Rubio stressed that border security is not rooted in exclusion, but in responsibility.

TRUMP PLEDGES TO REASSERT MONROE DOCTRINE TO RESTORE AMERICAN POWER

"We must also gain control of our national borders, controlling who and how many people enter our countries," he said. "This is not an expression of xenophobia. It is not hate. It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty."

Failing to do so, Rubio warned, is "not just an abdication of one of our most basic duties owed to our people — it is an urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and the survival of our civilization itself."

The U.S. top diplomat added that lax enforcement threatens "the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people."

Rubio’s remarks come amid mounting political tensions in both Europe and the U.S. over migration, asylum policy and border security.

RUBIO STEPS INTO MUNICH SPOTLIGHT AS TRUMP LEANS ON HIM TO CARRY VANCE’S POPULIST MESSAGE ABROAD

Outlining America’s direction under President Donald Trump, Rubio said the U.S. seeks to rebuild its alliance with Europe on stronger footing.

"We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength," he said. "This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame. We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who, together with us, are willing and able to defend it."

"We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West's managed decline," Rubio said. "We do not seek to separate, but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history."

RUBIO WARNS NATO ALLIES US IS 'NOT SIMPLY FOCUSED ON EUROPE,' DOESN'T HAVE UNLIMITED RESOURCES

The secretary said the U.S. seeks an alliance "ready to defend our people, to safeguard our interests, and to preserve the freedom of action that allows us to shape our own destiny, not one that exists to operate a global welfare state and atone for the purported sins of past generations."

Rubio reminded attendees that America’s ties to Europe stretch back centuries, saying the U.S. will remain permanently linked to the continent.

"What we have inherited together is something that is unique and distinctive and irreplaceable," Rubio said. "Acting together in this way, we will not just help recover a sane foreign policy, it will restore to us a clear sense of ourselves. It will restore a place in the world, and in so doing, it will rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure that today menace both America and Europe alike."

Marco Rubio could not be immediately reached by Fox News Digital for comment.