CIA Doubted Israeli Intel on Trump Turkey Assassination Plot

The Washington Post reported overnight Wednesday that the CIA harbored significant doubts about the credibility of Israeli intelligence shared with the United States regarding an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Turkey.

According to American sources the information Israel passed was not viewed by officials in Washington as convincing or reliable intelligence. These concerns about the intelligence's credibility were communicated to senior officials within the American administration.

One U.S. official characterized the threat reports as "information originating from Israel, not the U.S. and considered to have a low confidence level." The official added that "this fit into a broader pattern of Israeli intelligence reporting that some officials view as an attempt to shape the president's decision-making as much as to inform him."

Despite the substantial doubts, the U.S. Secret Service ultimately decided against taking any risks and proceeded with a covert extraction operation. In a highly unusual move, Trump was smuggled out of the event location in Turkey inside a catering truck, while senior administration officials served as decoys to divert attention.

Previously, The New York Times reported that the level of Iranian surveillance was particularly alarming. Tehran's operatives possessed highly precise information about Trump's location in Ankara, including the specific floor of the building where he was staying. Moreover, during a security assessment in the summit area, an individual armed with a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile was actually identified.

The combination of detailed intelligence about the president's exact whereabouts and the physical presence of a potential threat led American security officials to conclude that, regardless of questions about the source's reliability, the risk was too great to ignore.