Boris Johnson suggests Netanyahu bugged his bathroom

Shafaq News/ Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have bugged his private bathroom during a 2017 visit to the UK.

The incident is recounted in Johnson’s newly released memoir, Unleashed, where he describes hosting Netanyahu during his tenure as Foreign Secretary.

Johnson explains that Netanyahu used his private bathroom at the Foreign Office—an annex he likened to "the gents in a posh London club." He later recounts how security personnel "found a listening device in the thunderbox," a term referring to the toilet. "It may or may not be a coincidence," Johnson wrote, leaving the implication unclear.

There is no confirmation on whether the UK government confronted Israel about the discovery.

Johnson reflected on showing Netanyahu a walnut desk, which he claimed was used by former Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to draft the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Netanyahu reportedly appeared impressed, although Johnson later admitted it was unlikely the desk had been involved in drafting the historic document.

In 2019, US officials said that Israel placed cellphone surveillance devices near the White House to spy on President Donald Trump. Israel denied the accusations at the time.