Full story
Israel warns of plot
Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to CNN’s report citing two sources familiar with the matter.
CNN said one source described the warning as coming this week, while another source said the US had picked up a steady drumbeat of intelligence in recent weeks about possible plans to assassinate Trump, but that the warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot.
Trump, speaking to reporters Wednesday, said, “They want to take out the US leader — me. I’m on whatever list. I saw this morning I’m on every single one of their lists.”
CNN reported that the White House pointed to Trump’s remarks when asked for comment on the Israeli warning, and that it was not immediately clear what the details of the plot were.
CNN also reported that the US had not vetted the intelligence itself nor were they tracking it before the Israeli warning.
Trump’s remarks and plane
The New York Post reported that Trump told the paper he’d “left instructions” if anything happened, saying, “to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
The New York Post also said Trump indicated there was no fresh plan from Iran, but that Tehran has wanted him dead for years, and it quoted him saying, “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time.”
NHKニュース reported that talks aimed at ending hostilities were to resume after the funeral for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but that the US said on Tuesday it had carried out strikes on Iran in response to Tehran’s attacks on commercial vessels.
NHKニュース added that the Associated Press suggested security concerns, saying that images of the Qatari plane show “it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.”
NHKニュース further reported that when Trump was in Turkey to attend a NATO summit, he told reporters, “They want to take out the US leader -- me.”
Ceasefire strain and stakes
France 24 reported that Israel shared intelligence with the United States about a new and “specific” plan by Iran to assassinate President Donald Trump, and it said CNN reported the warning was new and concerned a specific plot.
France 24 also said Washington has monitored “a steady drumbeat” of intelligence about possible plans to assassinate Trump, but that the warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot, according to CNN cited in the report.
CNN reported that the ceasefire deal between the countries comes under strain, with a 60-day ceasefire ending hostilities described as “in tatters,” and it said the two sides were trading threats and strikes.
CNN added that diplomatic efforts with Iran were still underway behind the scenes, while preparations for potential strikes continued, and it described fighter jets drills aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln with the commanding officer Dan Keeler telling the crew that things were heating up.
CNN said the intelligence community is tracking several actors who have discussed attacks but haven’t taken action, and that one source said US intelligence agencies were concerned Iran would target a number of current and former senior officials.
