Israel Warns US of Iranian Plot Against Trump Before War

Israel has warned Washington multiple times that Iran plans to murder President Donald Trump. These alerts reached American intelligence agencies and were sometimes passed straight from Israeli leaders to top White House staff. The threats described a sniper shooting, an attempt to blow up Air Force One with a shoulder-fired missile, or an assassin trying to stab the president at a public gathering. Sources say these warnings started surfacing as tensions rose before the twelve-day war in June 2025 and grew sharper ahead of the decision to launch strikes on Iran in February.

The most specific alert arrived right before the NATO summit in Ankara last July. Israeli officials told the White House they believed Iran might try to kill Trump while he was flying home from Turkey. A Turkish official later stated that their own intelligence services found no proof to back up Israel's claims about a plot against the U.S. leader. Even without verification, White House staff and Secret Service agents moved quickly to protect the president out of pure caution. During the trip to Turkey, an unusual deception operation took place where Trump was shifted from Air Force One to another plane before leaving the country.

This episode highlights how Israeli intelligence is shaping decisions in the Trump administration regarding Iran as relations with Tehran strain. It also reveals a growing rift between what American and Israeli spies think about threats coming from Tehran. Earlier this year, U.S. agencies concluded that Iran was not actively building a nuclear bomb, even though Israel insisted the danger was immediate. Despite these reports, Trump ordered military strikes in February. He reportedly used intelligence shared by Israel showing Tehran had tried to kill him before launching the campaign, according to Reuters.

A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy rejected the idea that Israel is steering U.S. policy through its intel. 'The same people who claim that Israel is trying to influence U.S. policy through alleged intelligence sharing would just as soon accuse Israel of concealing critical information if it benefited their own agenda,' the representative said. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi refused to comment on specific secrets but noted his team stays focused on protecting Trump after recent assassination attempts and a spike in threats against him. 'The U.S. Secret Service continuously analyses a wide range of information to guide our protective operations in real time and across every location we secure,' he stated.

For years, the United States has leaned heavily on Israeli spy data about the Middle East, especially concerning Iran. Current and former officials explain that reports from Israel usually flow through formal channels to the CIA or the National Security Agency before analysts review them.

U.S. officials admit a hard truth: their intelligence agencies often cannot verify Israeli data. Instead, they rely on other forms of information to judge authenticity and accuracy. This gap creates uncertainty when threats loom large.

During two major U.S. military offensives in Iran, the CIA assessed it had 'low confidence' in Israeli reports. These reports covered Iranian threats, including plans to assassinate Trump. One former official and another person familiar with the matter confirmed this stance. It remains unclear how far these assessments traveled inside the administration.

Direct contact has increased between Israel and Washington. Two former U.S. officials told Reuters that senior Israeli representatives called the White House recently. Some briefings took place in the Situation Room itself. These calls targeted Trump's inner circle to warn them of Iranian dangers directly. Such engagement happens even as a breakdown tears through intelligence sharing within the Trump administration.

Last year, tension with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence grew sharp enough to halt joint work. The CIA stopped collaborating on shared assessments with the National Intelligence Council. Former officials said this shift occurred amid rising friction with ODNI.

The council serves as the U.S. intelligence community's elite analytical group. It sits under ODNI oversight and produces reports reflecting the broader view. The CIA contributes most to its findings. Fewer recent Iran assessments have emerged from the NIC recently. Layoffs at ODNI played a major role in this decline, officials added.