Knife Attack To Plane Threat: US Intel Could Not Verify Israel Warnings Of Iran Plots On Trump

US intelligence officials could not independently verify several warnings from Israel that Iran was planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, including a threat involving his aircraft ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey, Reuters reported, citing current and former US officials.

The warnings included alleged plans to shoot Trump with a sniper, attack him with a knife at a public event, or target Air Force One with a shoulder-launched missile, according to the officials.

The intelligence warnings were passed to US agencies and, in some cases, directly to senior White House officials, Reuters reported.

Air Force One Ruse

The most detailed warning came before the NATO summit in Ankara in July. Israeli officials told the White House that Iran could try to kill Trump

while he travelled aboard Air Force One, potentially using a shoulder-launched missile, according to a current US official and another person familiar with the matter.

US intelligence could not corroborate some of the specific threats shared by Israel since early last year, the officials said.

A Turkish official also told Reuters that Turkey’s intelligence agencies found no evidence supporting the Israeli claim about a threat to Trump during the NATO trip.

Despite the lack of verification, White House officials and the Secret Service took precautions. During Trump’s Turkey trip, officials carried out an unusual deception operation, moving him from Air Force One to another aircraft for his return flight.

CIA Had ‘Low Confidence’ In Some Intel

The US intelligence community has long assessed that Iran wants to retaliate for Trump’s 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

However, in several cases during the US military offensives against Iran, the CIA assessed Israeli intelligence on threats from Tehran, including alleged plans to kill Trump, with “low confidence”, according to a former US official and another person familiar with the matter.

US agencies generally assess Israeli intelligence alongside other information before judging its reliability, Reuters reported.

Israel Rejects Influence Claim

Senior Israeli officials have directly briefed Trump administration officials on Iranian threats, including in the White House Situation Room, according to two former US officials.

An Israeli embassy spokesperson rejected the suggestion that Israel was using intelligence to influence US policy on Iran, saying critics would also accuse Israel of withholding information if it suited their agenda.

“The same people who claim that Israel is trying to influence U.S. policy through alleged intelligence sharing would just as soon accuse Israel of concealing critical information if it benefited their own agenda,” the spokesperson said.

(With inputs from Reuters)