July 10 (THEWILL) — Security around United States President Donald Trump was significantly tightened during his visit to Ankara, Turkey, after Israel reportedly shared intelligence with Washington on a new alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him, according to a report published on Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.
The report said Israeli intelligence pointed to a new and specific alleged assassination plot that had not previously been tracked by US intelligence agencies, prompting fresh security concerns as Washington continues to assess the credibility and scope of the threat.
THEWILL reports that the latest intelligence comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran following their recent military confrontation and the subsequent collapse of a ceasefire, raising fears that any confirmed plot against the US president could further inflame relations between the longtime adversaries.
According to The Wall Street Journal, US officials are evaluating the intelligence while continuing to monitor what has been described as a persistent stream of Iranian threats against Trump. Although authorities have yet to determine how advanced the alleged plot was, officials are reportedly treating the information with heightened seriousness.
CNN also reported that US intelligence agencies had detected what it described as “a steady drumbeat of intelligence” in recent weeks pointing to possible Iranian plans to target Trump, with the latest warning reaching senior officials earlier this week.
The reported threat prompted extraordinary security measures during Trump’s visit to Ankara.
As part of the precautions, the president reportedly abandoned his usual return aboard Air Force One and instead transferred to another presidential aircraft for the journey back to the United States.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had accompanied Trump on the trip, also cancelled a planned visit to Israel. According to CNN, US officials are investigating whether the potential threat could extend beyond Trump to other senior members of the American government.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump acknowledged that he had lived under the shadow of assassination threats for years and suggested Iran remained intent on targeting him.
“They want to take out the US leader—me. I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long,” Trump was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying.
Iran has repeatedly vowed revenge against Trump over the January 2020 US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport that killed General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.
The killing of Soleimani marked one of the most consequential episodes in US-Iran relations in recent years and triggered retaliatory missile attacks by Iran against American military bases in Iraq. Since then, Iranian leaders have consistently vowed that those responsible for the operation would face consequences.
US authorities have, on several occasions, accused Tehran of plotting to assassinate Trump and other former senior American officials linked to the operation that killed Soleimani, leading to enhanced security protection for several current and former government officials.
However, the latest Israeli intelligence reportedly concerns a separate and newly identified threat that had not previously appeared on the radar of US intelligence agencies.
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