Israel has shared intelligence with the United States indicating that Iran developed a plan to assassinate US President Donald Trump, CNN reported on Thursday, citing informed sources.
Asked about Israel’s warning, the White House pointed to Trump’s recent public remarks in which he claimed Iran wants to kill him.
“They want to physically eliminate the leader of the United States – me. I’m on their list. As I saw this morning, I’m on all of their lists. I’ve been lucky so far, but that may not last. These are evil, sick people. We have to eradicate this malignant cancer – that’s exactly what it is, a cancer. And you know what you do with cancer? You cut it out completely at an early stage. That’s my position,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Trump also said he had information suggesting he is Iran’s number one target, although it remains unclear whether he was referring to the intelligence reportedly provided by Israel.
Based on one source cited by CNN, current and former US officials are also among Iran’s alleged targets. Senior US officials are attempting to identify individuals who discussed a potential attack. However, the source noted that some members of the US intelligence community have traditionally viewed Israeli intelligence assessments with skepticism.
One source said one of the warnings was received this week. Another source told CNN that while US authorities were already aware of the possibility of an Iranian attempt to assassinate Trump, Israel’s latest warning referred to a more specific alleged plot.
Some US officials reportedly believe the intelligence shared by Israel is an attempt to persuade Washington to intensify military operations against Iran.
The US government has long maintained that Iran could seek to assassinate Trump in retaliation for the 2020 US drone strike ordered during his first administration that killed senior Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
