Israel warned the United States last month that Iran could target Air Force One with missiles, prompting the Secret Service to secretly move US President Donald Trump onto another aircraft as he prepared
to leave Turkey, NPR reported.
According to a person briefed on the matter who was not authorised to speak publicly, Israel had intelligence of a possible Iranian missile threat directed at Air Force One and shared that information with the US.
The warning led to Trump being secretly flown out of Turkey on a different plane, while Air Force One travelled separately.
The warning came as Trump was preparing to leave Turkey after attending the NATO summit. The threat prompted US officials to conceal the President’s movements and arrange for him to leave aboard another aircraft.
Reuters, citing a person briefed on the matter, reported that the threat was considered “credible and imminent” by the Secret Service.
A second source told Reuters there was no clear operational plan by Trump’s adversaries to carry out the attack, but there was an intent, which was why the planes were ultimately allowed to fly.
The Reuters source said officials had little time to prepare and worked out the plan at the last minute.
Trump Was Secretly Moved From Air Force One
Trump and a small group of aides were secretly moved from the larger presidential aircraft to a smaller government jet during the operation.
Reuters reported that Trump used a catering truck to make the transfer and boarded a nondescript C-32A jet for the flight out of Ankara on July 8.
Air Force One then departed separately with senior administration officials, White House staff and the travelling press corps, effectively serving as a decoy.
The Associated Press reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard the decoy aircraft.
A senior US official cited by AP said Rubio was aware of the aircraft switch and the threat behind it, while Bessent was likely aware but the official could not say for certain.
The official said presidential security precautions were more extensive than those for even senior Cabinet members.
Trump Says He Followed Secret Service Instructions
Trump confirmed the aircraft switch when questioned about the reports, saying he followed instructions from the Secret Service and the military.
“It’s only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump said, according to AP.
He said officials wanted him to take “a different flight, a different plane” that was considered equally safe.
Reuters quoted Trump as saying he believed the aircraft he ultimately used may actually have been at greater risk.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump said, without providing evidence.
“I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”
Iran Threat Emerged Amid Heightened Tensions
Reuters reported that the threat emerged on the final day of Trump’s Ankara visit amid heightened tensions with Iran.
The threat was believed to involve the possibility of a shoulder-fired missile targeting the presidential aircraft.
Reuters cited Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, as saying the threat could have involved a heat-seeking missile that homes in on an aircraft’s hot engine.
Such missiles can be harder to detect than traditional radar-guided weapons because they do not emit detectable radio waves, Birkey said.
He cited the Iranian SA-67 as one version believed to use heat-seeking and laser guidance systems, while identifying Russia’s 9K333 Verba as another shoulder-mounted heat-seeking weapon.
Decoy Flight Carried Top Officials, Journalists
The aircraft that journalists believed was carrying Trump instead transported senior administration officials and the press pool.
According to Reuters, Rubio, Bessent, White House communications director Steven Cheung, other aides and the 13-member press pool were aboard.
Reuters reported that White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant Natalie Harp and Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta travelled with Trump during the secret transfer.
The AP noted that Rubio and Bessent are among the highest-ranking Cabinet officials in the presidential line of succession, following the vice president and congressional leaders.
The operation later prompted questions from some commentators and lawmakers about whether those left aboard the decoy aircraft were exposed to the same potential threat.
Secret Presidential Travel Used To Conceal Trump’s Movements
The operation involved an unusually elaborate effort to prevent Trump’s location from being known.
Reuters noted that US presidents have previously travelled secretly in high-risk regions. But such operations have generally involved advance arrangements with journalists travelling with the president.
In Trump’s case, journalists and some White House staff were led to believe they were aboard the same aircraft as the President.
