CIA Questions Israeli Intelligence on Iranian Threat to Trump, Secret Security Operation Ensues

In July, Israeli intelligence warned the CIA of a potential Iranian assassination threat against U.S. President Donald Trump, prompting an unusual security operation during his departure from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Despite doubts among some American analysts about the credibility of the Israeli-supplied intelligence, the U.S. Secret Service chose to err on the side of caution. On July 8, a deception maneuver was executed where Trump appeared to board Air Force One as usual, but then secretly exited through a different door and was flown away on a separate military plane, with his exact location kept confidential for hours.

The Washington Post reported that some U.S. intelligence officials viewed the Israeli information as low reliability since it originated outside the U.S. and questioned whether the warning was intended solely to alert about a threat or also to influence Trump’s Middle East policy. A former official described this as part of a broader pattern of Israeli intelligence reports aimed at shaping presidential decisions. Other security experts doubted the severity of the threat, citing the extensive Turkish security presence at the NATO summit.

Nonetheless, a U.S. official emphasized the reality of threats against Trump, including from Iran, and the necessity of precautionary measures. The Secret Service, having faced previous near-miss incidents, was unwilling to take risks. Meanwhile, Democratic members of Congress are demanding more information about the Israeli warning and how it was assessed by U.S. agencies. Senator Chris Van Hollen expressed skepticism about the intelligence’s reliability and the possibility of independent verification, calling the entire episode somewhat "fictional."