Could Israel be lying? I mean, the Israelies do lie, don't they? 
Could Israel be lying? I mean, the Israelies do lie, don't they?
Conjectures of that sort are best handled by fitting them into a much larger context. Why would they strain relations with the US in pleading to get a Russian spy released, exactly? By the time you're done fleshing out a bona fide theory, you'll realize that it's collapsing of its own weight.