US Intelligence Questioned Israeli Report on Iran Plot Against Trump

US intelligence officials have raised questions about the credibility of an Israeli intelligence report warning of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, a threat that prompted an extraordinary security operation to secretly move the president between aircraft during his departure from Turkey last month. According to multiple reports, the CIA assessed the intelligence as low confidence, yet the Secret Service proceeded with a precautionary plan that saw Trump transferred from a legacy Air Force One to a smaller C32A aircraft via an airport catering truck.

The incident occurred on July 8, following the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump had originally traveled to Turkey aboard a Boeing 747-8 aircraft gifted by Qatar. As he prepared to depart, the Secret Service initiated a complex operation. Trump boarded the older Air Force One in view of cameras, but was then secretly moved to the C-32A, which carried him and a small group of aides to Mildenhall air base in the United Kingdom. The original aircraft continued on its flight path with journalists and White House staff aboard, acting as a decoy. The C-32A was escorted by F-16 fighter jets.