The United States received multiple unverified warnings from Israel over the past year alleging that Iran planned to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to a current U.S. official and two former officials. The intelligence tips, which included threats involving snipers, knives at public events, and shoulder-launched missiles targeting Air Force One, prompted the U.S. Secret Service to execute an extraordinary deception operation during a July trip to Turkey by moving Trump to another aircraft.
The warnings intensified ahead of the U.S. decision to go to war in Iran in February, following an earlier escalation during a 12-day war in June 2025. According to the sources, Israeli officials passed the tips through formal channels to the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, and in some cases briefed senior White House officials directly in the Situation Room. Despite these persistent alerts, the CIA has been unable to corroborate several specific threats against Trump’s life since early last year.
During the July NATO summit in Ankara, Israeli officials warned the White House that Iran might target Air Force One with a shoulder-launched missile. However, a Turkish official stated that local intelligence agencies found no evidence to corroborate the alleged threat, an assessment that Turkey shared directly with American counterparts. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi declined to discuss specific intelligence matters, though he noted that the agency continuously analyzes a wide range of information to secure the president amid increased threats.
Intelligence Disagreements and Policy Impact
The unverified warnings highlight a broader friction between U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments regarding the threat posed by Iran. Earlier this year, American intelligence agencies concluded that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon, contrasting sharply with urgent warnings from Israel. Even with the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment, Trump authorized military strikes in Iran in February while also weighing the assassination warnings shared by Israeli officials.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy disputed assertions that Israel used its intelligence sharing to influence U.S. policy on Iran, stating that critics would accuse Israel of withholding critical information regardless of what is shared. Meanwhile, the CIA assessed in several instances during the two U.S. military offensives that it held “low confidence” in Israeli intelligence regarding Iranian threats and alleged assassination plans, according to a former official and another person familiar with the matter.
Administrative Shifts in Washington
The direct intelligence exchanges between Israeli officials and the White House occurred against the backdrop of an internal breakdown in U.S. intelligence sharing. Last year, amid rising tensions with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA halted its coordination and intelligence sharing with the National Intelligence Council, the elite analytical group overseen by ODNI. Because the CIA served as the largest contributor to NIC assessments, the halt resulted in fewer comprehensive community reports focused on Iran.
The NSA declined to comment on the intelligence flow, while the White House and the CIA both declined to comment on the reported Israeli warnings and the resulting security measures. It remains unclear how widely the CIA’s low-confidence assessments of the Israeli threats circulated among senior administration officials.
Did You Know?
The most detailed warning provided to the White House came ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara in July, when Israeli officials briefed the administration about a potential shoulder-launched missile threat against Air Force One.
Expert Insight
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific threats did Israeli intelligence allege against President Trump?
According to current and former officials, the warnings included plots involving a sniper, an attacker recruited with a knife at a large public event, and a shoulder-launched missile targeting Air Force One.
How did the U.S. government respond to the warnings?
White House officials and the Secret Service took mitigation steps out of an abundance of caution, including an extraordinary deception operation in Turkey that involved moving Trump from Air Force One to a different aircraft.
Did U.S. intelligence agencies verify the Israeli warnings?
No. U.S. intelligence officials could not independently verify the warnings, and the CIA assessed “low confidence” in some of the Israeli intelligence regarding Iranian threats and assassination plans.
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