Israel reportedly warned US that Iran devised a new plot to assassinate Trump

Israel has shared intelligence with the United States about Iranian plans to kill US President Donald Trump, according to reports on Thursday.

Individuals familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that Israeli intelligence indicated a new plot was in development to assassinate the US president.

It was unclear from the report when the intelligence was relayed, or through what channel.

The newspaper noted that Iran has been publicly pledging to assassinate Trump since the US killed Iranian IRGC Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020, with calls for the US president’s death featuring prominently in the ongoing mourning commemorations for slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, two US officials told Channel 12 news that the information related to general dialogue between Iranian officials on potentially assassinating the US president, rather than a specific plot.

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The officials said that they believed Israel gave the information to the US to improve ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump and to try and influence Washington’s policies on Iran.

One of the officials noted that Israel had given similar information over plans by Iran and Iran-linked terror groups over the past year.

Trump, who has faced several assassination attempts — including the 2024 shooting in which a bullet grazed his ear — this week referred to threats against him, saying, “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

Amid the fears of an assassination attempt, Trump unexpectedly left Turkey this week aboard an older Air Force One rather than the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet that brought him there. The New York Times reported that this was done at the recommendation of the US Secret Service as a security precaution.

Citing unnamed sources briefed on the matter, the report said that the plane switch was a precaution and wasn’t prompted by a concrete threat.

The trip to Turkey for the NATO summit, the first international travel for the new plane, took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, a country that borders Turkey. Trump later boarded the new plane in Britain for the flight to Washington.

The unexpected plane switch followed months of scrutiny over the luxury gift intended to serve as a temporary replacement while Boeing struggles to deliver long-delayed next-generation Air Force One planes. Critics have questioned the cost, security and pace of the retrofit.

Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane “for old time’s sake” to fly from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.

The US president denied that the switch was due to a security concern.

Still committed

Meanwhile, the White House signaled on Thursday that it was still committed to the memorandum of understanding with Iran, even though Trump declared earlier this week that the framework deal to end the Iran war was “over” after the Islamic Republic carried out strikes against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and against neighboring countries.

“The United States is still committed to finding a resolution, and technical talks continue,” read a statement attributed to a senior US official that the White House has sent to reporters.

The statement acknowledged Trump’s comments against the MOU but signaled that the US is still prepared to adhere to its terms, so long as Iran does the same.

“President Trump made his feelings very clear yesterday in no uncertain terms. Iran’s attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism,” the senior US official said.

“The MOU is performance-based, and Iran’s actions constitute failed performance at an unacceptable level,” the official added.

While the most recent exchange of fire has remained confined to the Gulf and has not spilled over into Israel, Jerusalem is preparing for multiple scenarios, given concerns that the situation could deteriorate rapidly, Channel 12 has reported.

The fighting, which began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28, entered a truce on April 8, and the US and Iran are engaged in talks based on the memorandum of understanding they reached last month.

The MOU saw the sides agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz toll-free for 60 days, but Iran claims the document still gives it the right to manage shipping through the corridor.

Israel is not a party to the memorandum or the talks, and Israeli officials have criticized the document for failing to secure a concrete concession from Iran on its nuclear program.