Israel Shares Intel on Iran Plot to Kill Trump
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- Israel shared intelligence with the United States this week describing a new and "specific" Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, per CNN and The Wall Street Journal reports on July 9, 2026, with CNN noting Washington had previously monitored only a "steady drumbeat" of vague threats.
- Trump acknowledged the threat publicly aboard Air Force One on July 8, telling reporters: "They want to take out the U.S. leader – me. I'm on whatever list. I saw this morning I'm on every single one of their lists."
- Tehran has for years vowed retaliation for the January 2020 U.S. assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani during Trump's first term, providing the longstanding motive the new intelligence appears to update.
- Trump used his older Air Force One to depart the NATO summit in Türkiye, sending his new Qatari-gifted jet on ahead to Britain; The New York Times reported the switch was made at the request of the U.S. Secret Service "as a security precaution."
- The White House declined to confirm or deny the plot reports directly, pointing instead to Trump's own Wednesday remarks about being a target.
Why it matters: The Israeli intelligence lands as the U.S. and Iran trade fresh strikes, raising the operational threat environment around Trump to a level that already triggered a Secret Service-requested jet swap at a NATO ally's summit — making this plot warning the first publicly known case of a specific, actionable Iranian targeting package on the U.S. president since Soleimani's killing.
