While not confirming it was the source of the intelligence, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted Wednesday that the two countries' security cooperation was deep and meaningful, and would always be. But other allies might not be so understanding.

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“It’s a big deal,” a senior European diplomat told CNN. “We want to make sure sensitive information is handled properly.” A German lawmaker suggested that sharing information with Trump might be dangerous, telling the Associated Press that if the American president “passes this information to other governments at will, then Trump becomes a security risk for the entire Western world.”

If that happens, it would be a catastrophe for national security. The intelligence community maintains “robust” relationships with countries around the world. Members of the “Five Eyes” community (the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) share nearly everything, and the United States also works closely with countries like France, Germany, Japan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

As intelligence experts Eric Rosenbach and Aki Peritz explained in 2009, “other nations often have access to intelligence and can implement direct action that the U.S. requires to pursue its national security interests.”

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Those advantages come in many forms. Other countries might have better connections on the ground (particularly in countries hostile to the U.S.) or a stronger cultural understanding of the country in question. Close cooperation between the United States and Britain allowed the countries to thwart a plan to blow up a plane in 2006. In 2003, America and Pakistan worked together to capture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11.

Of course, one leak — particularly one committed by accident — probably won’t undo decades of cooperation. And most countries need American intelligence as much, or more, than we need theirs. But top experts say there’s reason to worry.