Israel Warns US of Iran Plot to Assassinate President Donald Trump

Israel shared intelligence with the United States alleging that Iran recently developed a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, with The Wall Street Journal reporting Israel passed the intelligence to US officials this week and CNN reporting the warning was delivered this week and referred to a specific alleged plot.

CNN reported that US agencies had not independently verified the intelligence or been tracking the alleged plot before Israel's warning, while The White House declined to comment directly and referred The Wall Street Journal and CNN to remarks Trump made on Wednesday while speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey.

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Trump said, "They want to take out the US leader, me," and added, "I'm on every list," as the reports emerged against the backdrop of diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran continuing despite renewed hostilities.

The Times of India also reported that US officials have long warned Iran could seek revenge against Trump over the 2020 drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, and that mourners attending funeral proceedings for Iran's slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, chanted slogans calling for Trump's death.

The Times of India said a banner reading "We Will Kill Trump" was displayed during the ceremony, as the latest development came while US and Iranian officials were still working towards a nuclear agreement by mid-August.

CNN reported that one source said the Israeli report could be an effort to sway Trump's decision-making as he weighs whether to intensify American military action against Iran, while other American officials suggested the Israeli warning was viewed as new and concerned a specific plot.

CNN also said two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the US had not vetted the plot and was not tracking it before the Israeli warning, and the White House pointed to Trump's recent comments on Iran's desire to kill him.

CNN

Trump told reporters, "I’m on whatever list. I saw this morning I’m on every single one of their lists," and CNN reported that later he said he'd recently learned of a new list ranking him as Iran's top assassination target.

The Times of Israel reported that 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.

The Times of Israel also said crowds in Mashhad awaiting former supreme leader Ali Khamenei's funeral cortege chanted slogans demanding revenge on Trump, including "I swear by the blood of the Supreme Leader, Trump, we will kill you!"

After the reports, Trump said on Friday, July 10 that if Iran ever succeeded at killing him, "I’ve left instructions [for my team] — if anything happens, to literally just bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before."

“Israeli intelligence shared information with the United States government indicating an alleged Iranian plan to kill President Donald Trump, according to a publication by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Thursday (9)”

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Newsweek reported that in a late-night Friday post on Truth Social, Trump warned, "1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran," and added that "Orders have already been given" for a one year period to "completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran."

CNN reported that as preparations were underway, fighter jets with armaments and pilots did drills on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the aircraft carrier’s commanding officer, Dan Keeler, told the crew that "things were heating up."

The People article said the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has been called off while Trump launches more attacks, and it quoted Trump writing on Truth Social that "The Cease Fire is OVER!"

The People article also said the U.S. bombed "approximately 90 Iranian military targets" on Wednesday and "approximately 80 Iranian military targets" on Tuesday, while Trump said during remarks alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Turkey, "And instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday," and "we hit them very hard last night".