U.S. intelligence officials could not independently verify multiple warnings from Israel over the past year alleging Iranian plots to assassinate President Donald Trump, including a supposed shoulder-launched missile threat ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, according to disclosures from a current U.S. official and two former officials reported by Reuters on August 13, 2026.
Intelligence Gaps and High-Stakes Deception in Turkey
The warnings passed from Israeli officials to the White House and U.S. intelligence agencies spanned a volatile period. They began in the lead-up to the 12-day war in June 2025 and intensified ahead of the U.S. decision to go to war in Iran in February. The intelligence outlined various alleged methods, from sniper attacks and knife assaults at large public events to a shoulder-launched missile targeting Air Force One.
Here is why that matters. Despite assessing that the Central Intelligence Agency had low confidence in some of these specific threats, the White House and the Secret Service treated the warnings with extreme caution. During a trip to the NATO summit in Ankara in July, the Secret Service executed an extraordinary deception operation. Officials moved Trump from Air Force One to a different aircraft for his flight out of the country.
But there is a catch. Turkish intelligence agencies stated they had no evidence to corroborate the Israeli claim about a threat to Trump’s life during the NATO episode—an assessment Ankara shared directly with American counterparts, according to a Turkish official cited by Reuters.
Disagreements and Strategic Influence in Washington
The friction over unverified intelligence highlights a broader divergence between U.S. and Israeli threat assessments regarding Tehran. Earlier this year, American intelligence agencies concluded that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon, even as Israel argued that Tehran posed an urgent threat. President Trump ultimately moved forward with strikes in Iran in February despite those U.S. intelligence findings, factoring in the intelligence shared by Israel concerning alleged assassination plots.
However, an Israeli embassy spokesperson strongly disputed that characterization, stating to Reuters:
The same people who claim that Israel is trying to influence U.S. policy through alleged intelligence sharing would just as soon accuse Israel of concealing critical information if it benefited their own agenda.
Neither the White House nor the CIA chose to comment on the unverified warnings or the operational adjustments made by the Secret Service.
Chronology of Intelligence Warnings and Operations
| Period | Reported Threat | U.S. / Host Nation Assessment & Action |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-June 2025 | Sniper and knife plots ahead of the 12-day war in June 2025 | Passed to U.S. intelligence; assessed with low confidence by the CIA. |
| Pre-February | Assassination plots intensifying prior to U.S. strikes in Iran | Weighed by President Trump ahead of the military campaign. |
| July | Shoulder-launched missile threat targeting Air Force One ahead of Ankara NATO summit | Turkish officials reported no corroborating evidence; Secret Service executed an aircraft switch deception operation anyway. |
Navigating Intelligence Alliances Amid Regional Conflict
The United States relies heavily on Israeli intelligence on Middle East matters, particularly as they relate to Iran, with information from Israel typically flowing to the CIA or the National Security Agency for formal analysis.
What steps should intelligence agencies prioritize when partner-nation warnings cannot be independently verified? Share your perspective below.
