Israel has shared intelligence with the United States warning that Iran recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report has been confirmed independently by CNN, Fox News and other outlets citing their own sources.
Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the details of the plot remain unclear, and that the United States had not yet vetted the intelligence itself and was not tracking the specific threat before Israel's warning arrived. One source said the warning came this week, while another noted that American intelligence agencies had already been picking up a steady stream of information in recent weeks about possible efforts to target the president, though the Israeli report concerned a new and specific plot.
Iran has publicly vowed to kill Trump since 2020, when he ordered the drone strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Those threats have taken on new urgency this week, with mourners at the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad chanting for Trump's death and displaying a banner reading "We Will Kill Trump."
Asked about the Israeli warning, the White House pointed reporters to comments Trump made Wednesday at the NATO summit in Ankara, where he said Iran views him as a top target. "They want to take out the US leader, me," Trump told reporters. "I'm on whatever list. I saw this morning I'm on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I've been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn't last very long."
Israel's embassy in Washington declined to comment on the report, and Iran's Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Journal.
Some American officials, speaking to CNN, suggested that the timing of the Israeli warning could reflect an effort by Jerusalem to influence Trump's thinking as he weighs whether to intensify American military action against Iran. The intelligence emerged as tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened, with a 60 day ceasefire that had ended active hostilities now under severe strain and strikes resuming on both sides this week.
Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Thursday night, with the two coordinating on recent American strikes in the Gulf. Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington soon for in person talks with the president. The conversation came against the backdrop of a broader divergence between the two leaders, with Netanyahu pushing for continued military pressure on Iran while Trump has sought to preserve what remains of the ceasefire framework.
