The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Israel had shared new intelligence with the US that it said pointed to a new Iranian plan to assassinate US President Donald Trump. The New York Times reported earlier that Trump had flown aboard his older aircraft as a security precaution.
Several US officials said they were concerned that Israel had shared the intelligence in an effort to influence US decision-making ahead of a possible return to all-out war with Iran. They noted that a single piece of intelligence often provides only a fragmented picture of a potential threat. Iran knows that harming Trump could trigger a stronger military response, officials said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the lack of defensive capabilities aboard President Trump's new luxury aircraft led him to fly home from Turkey this week on an older Air Force One after US officials received Israeli intelligence about a possible assassination plot. Some of those officials said the threat was not considered fully credible.
The newspaper said that while Trump had shown a preference for diplomacy, Israel would like to see a resumption of the bombing campaign to continue weakening and humiliating Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. Israeli military officials have continued planning additional targets in Iran since the end of the campaign, military sources said, even as Trump pursued a diplomatic course.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed in an interview with Fox News on Saturday that Israeli intelligence had provided the US administration with information about an Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump.
"This week, Israeli intelligence alerted us, the president and administration officials to a very specific plot aimed at killing President Trump," Huckabee said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment.
