According to a report by Reuters on August 14, a current U.S. official and two former officials revealed that Israel has repeatedly warned the United States over the past year about Iran's intent to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump. One of these warnings even occurred before Trump’s secret flight switch to Air Force One, but U.S. intelligence agencies were unable to independently verify this information.
According to sources, these warnings were sent to U.S. intelligence agencies, and in some cases, they were conveyed directly to senior White House officials by Israeli officials. The relevant intelligence includes the possibility that Iran could plan to assassinate Trump with sniper rifles, or recruit individuals to attack Trump during large public events using knives.
According to sources, this intelligence first appeared on the eve of the 12-day war in June 2025, and increased further before the United States decided to invade Iran in February of this year.
The most detailed warning came before the NATO summit in Ankara last July. According to an American official and another person familiar with the matter, Israeli officials informed the White House that they had information indicating that Iran might attempt to kill Trump. It was even possible that Iran could launch an attack using shoulder-mounted missiles during Trump’s flight on Air Force One to the summit.
The American intelligence community has long believed that Iran wants to retaliate against Trump's order in 2020 to kill Iranian military commander Qasem Suleimani. However, U.S. officials say that the CIA has been unable to confirm some specific threats to Trump's safety posed by Israeli intelligence agencies since early last year.
During the NATO summit event, a Turkish official stated that Turkish intelligence agencies also found no evidence to confirm Israel's claims that Trump's life is in danger. Turkey informed the United States of this assessment.
Despite a lack of verification results, for precautionary reasons, White House officials and the Secret Service took measures to reduce associated risks. This included a rare deception tactic used by Trump during his trip to Turkey: Trump was transferred from Air Force One to another aircraft upon leaving Turkey.
Reuters reported that the United States has long relied heavily on Israel’s intelligence regarding Middle Eastern issues, especially those related to Iran. This incident highlights how Israeli intelligence is influencing the Trump administration’s decisions regarding Iran, amidst tensions between the US and Iran. It also reflects broader differences in the assessments made by US and Israeli intelligence agencies regarding Iran’s overall threat.
Two former US officials said that Israeli intelligence regarding Iran is typically passed through official channels to the CIA or the National Security Agency, where it is then analyzed by the United States.
American intelligence agencies often cannot independently verify the information provided by Israel. However, officials say that they will combine other information to determine the truthfulness and accuracy of the intelligence.
A former U.S. official and another source familiar with the matter said that during the two military attacks on Iran, the CIA evaluated various intelligence reports regarding Israel’s threats against Iran as “less reliable,” including information about Iran’s plans to assassinate Trump.
It is still unclear how widespread these assessments have been within the Trump administration.
Two former US officials told Reuters that over the past year, several high-ranking Israeli officials and representatives have made several calls to the White House, including direct visits to the White House’s ‘war room’, to inform senior Trump administration officials of the threat posed by Iran.
An Israeli embassy spokesperson denied that Israel used intelligence to influence US policy on Iran.
This spokesperson said, "Those claiming Israel intends to influence US policy through so-called information sharing are themselves expected to criticize Israel for concealing critical information if their own agenda aligns with this action."
Both the White House and the Central Intelligence Agency refused to comment.
