Israel Shares Intelligence on Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump

Some US officials believe Israeli intelligence may also be part of a broader effort by Tel Aviv to influence Trump's decision on whether to intensify American military action against Iran.

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

The details of the purported plan remain unclear, and CNN reported that US agencies had not independently verified the intelligence or been tracking the alleged plot before Israel's warning.

Some US officials told CNN they believe the Israeli intelligence may also be part of a broader effort by Israel to influence Trump's decision on whether to intensify American military action against Iran. One source said US intelligence has been monitoring a steady flow of threats against Trump in recent weeks, but described the Israeli warning as new because it referred to a specific alleged plan.

The White House declined to comment directly on the reported intelligence, referring The Wall Street Journal and CNN to remarks Trump made on Wednesday while speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey. "They want to take out the US leader, me," Trump said. "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."

Later, Trump also said he had recently learned of a new list ranking him as Iran's top assassination target, although it remains unclear whether he was referring to the Israeli intelligence cited in the reports.

The latest development comes as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran continue despite renewed hostilities. CNN reported that US and Iranian officials are still working towards a nuclear agreement by mid-August, even as preparations for possible military action have continued in parallel. Multiple officials told the broadcaster that while US forces made contingency preparations for potential strikes, diplomacy remained the preferred course.

The reports also emerge against the backdrop of growing differences between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the direction of the conflict with Iran. According to The Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu has argued for continuing military operations against Iran to achieve additional war objectives, while Trump has sought an exit from the conflict over concerns about its wider economic consequences.

The two leaders spoke by phone on Thursday, with Netanyahu's office saying they agreed to continue coordination between their countries and discussed recent US activity in the Gulf.

US officials have long warned that Iran could seek revenge against Trump over the 2020 drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, during Trump's first term. Iran has repeatedly vowed retaliation for Soleimani's killing.

Over the weekend, mourners attending funeral proceedings for Iran's slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, chanted slogans calling for Trump's death, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that a banner reading "We Will Kill Trump" was displayed during the ceremony.