US Intelligence Skepticism Surrounds Israeli Warning of Iranian Threat to Trump
American intelligence analysts initially expressed strong skepticism regarding an Iranian assassination threat directed at President Donald Trump that had been communicated by Israeli authorities. This information was reported by current and former US officials to The Washington Post. The Israeli warning ultimately led to a covert operation to transport the president out of Turkey using a secondary military aircraft.
Israeli officials had transmitted details of the alleged plot to the CIA, where analysts deemed the information unconvincing and conveyed their reservations to representatives of the Trump administration. One official characterized the credibility of the report as "Israeli-derived, not US-generated, and viewed as low confidence."
These doubts about the immediate danger provide context for the White House's decision on July 8 to obscure Trump's movements as he departed a NATO conference in Ankara, Turkey. Initial security concerns focused on whether a newly acquired Boeing 747-8, presented by Qatar, had adequate defensive capabilities to carry the president through a potentially hazardous environment. Consequently, Trump boarded the standard Air Force One 747 in Ankara. However, in a secretive secondary step, he exited that jet and was transported via an airport catering vehicle to a US Air Force C-32A, which then flew him and a small group of aides to the United Kingdom.
When asked about the specific threat warnings and how American agencies interpreted them, White House representatives did not address the intelligence directly. A US official stated, "As the President has said, he has faced numerous threats on his life, including ones from Iran, and every measure is taken to ensure his safety."
The United States Secret Service's core mission is to protect the President, which they accomplished during this incident. The CIA declined to comment, and the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not respond to inquiries seeking further information.
Despite the skepticism surrounding the Israeli intelligence, the Secret Service and White House leadership determined that precautionary measures were necessary. One US official explained that the elaborate transfer protocol in Ankara was executed out of extreme caution, noting, "The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they’re not taking any chances. They did what they had to do."
Israeli intelligence sharing regarding the Iranian threat was first reported last month by The Wall Street Journal. Addressing the secret flight publicly for the first time, Trump stated that the Secret Service directed the aircraft change, saying, "It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety. … I do what they say."
