Israel allegedly fed the CIA intelligence about a fake Iranian plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump, with US officials believing the warning was intended to influence Washington’s Iran policy
and damage Trump’s growing ties with Turkey, according to The Washington Post.
CIA analysts reportedly did not find the intelligence compelling and conveyed their doubts to Trump administration officials. One US official described the reports as “Israeli-derived, not U.S.-generated, and viewed as low confidence”.
Iran Threat Prompted Secret Trump Exit
The alleged assassination threat was relayed during Trump’s July 8 visit to Turkey and triggered an extraordinary security operation by the US Secret Service.
Concerns had emerged over whether the new 747-8 aircraft gifted by Qatar had sufficient security measures to fly Trump out of a potentially hostile environment. Trump initially boarded a legacy Air Force One in Ankara.
He later secretly left that aircraft and was moved in an airport catering truck to an Air Force C-32A. The aircraft carried Trump and a few key aides to Britain. The plane was escorted to Mildenhall air base by F-16 fighter jets, according to US officials and material reviewed by The Post.
Trump later said the decision to use an alternative aircraft was made by the Secret Service.
“It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do,” Trump said. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety. … I do what they say.”
US Officials Question Israeli Intelligence
Some US intelligence officials reportedly believed Israel’s warning was designed less to provide information than to influence Trump’s decision-making and US policy in the region.
A former official said the episode “fit a broader pattern” of Israeli intelligence reporting that some officials viewed as being intended to shape presidential decisions as much as inform them.
US officials believe Israel may have fabricated the threat to push Trump towards restarting the war on Iran. Turkish officials also believe the report was fabricated to derail Trump’s negotiations with Iran and block Turkey’s acquisition of F-35 fighter jets.
Israel considers Iran its most urgent near-term threat. However, it views Turkey as a medium- to long-term threat and is concerned about warming relations between Washington and Ankara, strengthened by the relationship between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Iran: Trump Is Already ‘Destroying’ US
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi also reacted to the assassination allegation. “Trump is already destroying the United States. We don’t need to eliminate him,” he said.
The Iranian threat against Trump and other senior US officials has remained a major concern since the 2020 US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force. Those concerns increased following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in February, along with scores of other senior officials, at the beginning of the Iran war.
Trump has survived three known assassination plots since his 2024 presidential campaign, although none of the suspects in those cases are known to have links to Iran.
White House Defends Secret Service
Despite doubts over the Israeli intelligence, a US official said the Secret Service operation in Ankara was carried out as a precaution. “The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they’re not taking any chances,” the official said. “They did what they had to do.”
The White House did not directly answer questions about the intelligence or how US officials assessed it. A US official said Trump had faced numerous threats to his life, including from Iran, and that every measure was being taken to protect him.
The CIA declined to comment, while the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for details.
The Wall Street Journal had first reported last month that Israel shared intelligence with the US government about the Iranian threat.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was reportedly briefed about the Israeli intelligence and the Secret Service plan. Another US official questioned the seriousness of the threat, pointing to the tens of thousands of Turkish security personnel involved in the NATO summit.
Democrats have called for greater clarity over the operation. Senator Chris Van Hollen questioned whether the Israeli-provided intelligence was credible and independently verifiable, saying that while Iran would want Trump gone, “this all seems a little fantastical.”
