Israel shared intelligence with the US this week about Iran's new and "specific" plan to assassinate US President Donald Trump, US media reported on July 9 (local time).
This information appeared in the context of new attacks between the US and Iran raising concerns about the possibility of a full-scale conflict returning, and after Mr. Trump made an incomprehensible move by using an old private jet to leave Turkey after the NATO summit.
Washington has been monitoring "a series of continuous intelligence" about possible plans to assassinate Mr. Trump, "but warnings from Israel are new and related to a specific conspiracy," according to AFP.
Tehran has vowed for many years to retaliate against Mr. Trump for ordering the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, during his first term.
When AFP contacted the White House about this information, an unnamed official quoted Mr. Trump's statement on July 8. "They want to kill the US leader, that is, me. I'm on any list. This morning I saw myself on every one of their lists," Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew home from the NATO summit.
Mr. Trump used his old Air Force One to leave Turkey, where the summit took place, while letting a new private jet donated by Qatar fly to England first, where he changed his aircraft to continue his journey to Washington. The change from a new aircraft in its first foreign tour has sparked speculation that the reason may be due to missing security features, especially when the US has just launched new attacks against Iran, a country bordering Turkey.
US media believes that the aircraft exchange was carried out at the request of the US Secret Service "as a security precaution". At a press conference, Mr. Trump avoided questions about safety but mentioned previous assassination plots believed to have been carried out by Iran.
