Israel warns US of Iranian plot to kill Trump, US intelligence sceptical of motive

The warning from Tel Aviv

Israeli intelligence services transmitted information to Washington this week about a new Iranian plan to assassinate US President Donald Trump, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and CNN published on Thursday 9 July. The two American outlets, citing anonymous sources, provided few operational details. One CNN source said the alert reached American ears this week; another told the network that the Israelis confirmed a new Iranian plot already partially detected by US services.

A long trail of threats

Tehran has openly vowed for years to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general, who was assassinated on Trump's order in Iraq in 2020 during his first term. The desire for revenge intensified after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 28 February 2026, carried out in a joint US-Israeli strike at the very start of their war against Iran. During Khamenei's funeral processions, which took place from 4 to 9 July, participants chanted slogans calling for Trump's death and displayed banners reading "We will kill Trump".

Trump's response in Ankara

Speaking to reporters on 8 July on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump alluded to the threats against his life.

They want to eliminate the American leader, meaning me. I am on a sort of list. I saw this morning that I am on all of their lists. So far I have had a little luck, I suppose, but that may not last very long.

The president departed the summit aboard the old presidential aircraft, not the new Air Force One gifted by Qatar, due to security concerns, according to the New York Times. Asked about the Israeli report, the White House did not deny it, instead pointing to Trump's Wednesday remarks.

Suspicion in Washington

US intelligence sources cited by CNN said the Israeli report has been received with scepticism in Washington. It is perceived, at least partially, as part of a broader Israeli strategy to influence Trump's military decisions regarding Iran. One source told CNN that the Israeli report was seen as "an element of a larger Israeli strategy aimed at influencing Donald Trump's decisions concerning Iran", while another said American intelligence "remains always sceptical of Israeli information".

Fractured alliance and renewed strikes

The leak of a new plot comes as the relationship between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has markedly deteriorated in recent weeks. The two leaders are at odds over the prosecution of the war in Iran. The United States is Israel's main ally, but Trump has publicly criticised Netanyahu several times after Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon threatened talks with Iran. The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment, and the Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to questions from the Wall Street Journal. Amid this tension, strikes between the US and Iran resumed this week, and on Thursday Iranian forces bombed 85 American targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.