Israel shared intelligence with US of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, sources say

According to information given to CNN by two sources familiar with the matter, Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, adding a new layer of tension as the ceasefire agreement between the countries became tense.

One of the sources said the warning came this week. Another source said that the United States has received constant intelligence in recent weeks about possible assassination plans against Trump, but the warning from Israel is new and relates to a specific conspiracy.

Other American officials have suggested that the Israeli report may be an effort to influence Trump’s decision-making as he weighs whether to intensify American military action against Iran.

Details of the plot that Israel warned about are not yet clear, and two sources familiar with the matter said that the United States did not investigate the matter themselves and did not follow up on it before Israel’s warning. The U.S. government has long warned that Iran might try to kill Trump in retaliation for the 2020 drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

Comment requested on Israel’s warning It was first reported in the Wall Street Journal, The White House noted Trump’s recent comments about Iran’s desire to kill him.

“They want to eliminate me – the leader of the United States,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning that I’m on every single one of them. I’ve been kind of lucky so far, but maybe it won’t last long. These are evil, sick people. And we’ve got to root out this cancer. That cancer. Do you know what you’re doing? You’ve got to cut the cancer early. That’s how I feel.”

Trump later said he had recently learned of a new list ranking him as Iran’s top assassination target. It is unclear whether he was referring to new Israeli intelligence information.

Over the weekend, Iranian crowds called for Trump’s death during the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.

Tensions between the USA and Iran have increased in recent days; While the 60-day ceasefire is in disarray to end hostilities, both sides are exchanging threats and attacks.

Two sources familiar with recent U.S. intelligence said the intelligence community was tracking several actors who discussed the attacks but did not act, and one said U.S. intelligence agencies were concerned that Iran would target a number of current and former senior officials. But this source said the Israeli report was seen in part as part of a broader Israeli effort to influence Trump’s decision-making on Iran. The source said some in the intelligence community have always been skeptical of Israeli news.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed deep skepticism of Trump’s efforts at diplomacy with Iran and clashed with Trump over Israel’s military intervention in Lebanon, which has complicated talks. The two men spoke by phone on Thursday, and Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington soon to meet with the president.

Another US official on Thursday said diplomatic efforts with Iran were continuing behind the scenes, despite the resumption of attacks between the two sides and Trump announcing a day earlier that the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran was “done.” Washington and Tehran are working to reach a nuclear deal by mid-August.

Many officials said that preparations were made for possible attacks if necessary on Thursday night, but they gave up on this in the name of diplomacy. Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln early Thursday, crews loaded their fighter planes with weapons and pilots practiced if called upon to launch an attack. Commander Dan Keeler of the aircraft carrier told the thousands of crew members on board that things were getting heated.

While preparations continued, fighter pilots continued their routine defense operations with uninterrupted flights day and night.

This developing story has been updated.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.

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