Home
+
Published : 10 Jul 2026, 10:59 AM
Israel has shared intelligence with the United States warning that Iran had recently devised a new plan to “assassinate” President Donald Trump, CNN reports.
The American broadcaster said the warning adds another layer of tension as a ceasefire deal between Washington and Tehran comes under strain.
One source told CNN that the warning came this week.
Another said the US had picked up a steady stream of intelligence in recent weeks about possible plots against Trump, but that the Israeli warning was new and concerned a specific plan.
According to CNN, some US officials believe the Israeli intelligence could be part of an effort to influence Trump's decision on whether to step up US military action against Iran.
It said the details of the alleged plot remain unclear.
US agencies had neither independently verified the intelligence nor been tracking the specific threat before Israel shared the information, it added.
US officials have long warned that Iran could seek to assassinate Trump in retaliation for the 2020 drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Asked about the Israeli warning, the White House referred CNN to Trump's recent remarks that Iran wanted to kill him.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he was on Iran's “assassination list” and later said he had learned of a new ranking that placed him at the top of Tehran's alleged target list.
It remains unclear whether he was referring to the Israeli intelligence, CNN said.
The broadcaster also reported that crowds attending funeral ceremonies for Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend shouted calls for Trump's death.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified in recent days, with both sides exchanging threats and strikes despite a 60-day ceasefire coming under strain.
US Agencies are reportedly tracking several actors who have discussed attacks but not acted on them, amid concerns Iran could target a number of current and former senior officials.
The Israeli report is viewed, in part, as an element of a broader Israeli effort to influence Trump's decision-making on Iran, with some in the intelligence community reportedly sceptical of Israeli reporting generally.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced “doubts” about Trump's diplomatic efforts with Iran, and has clashed with Trump over Israeli military action in Lebanon, which CNN said had complicated the talks.
The two leaders spoke by phone on Thursday, with Netanyahu expected to visit Washington soon for talks with Trump.
Multiple officials said preparations had been made for potential strikes on Thursday night, but these were shelved in favour of continuing diplomacy, as per CNN.
Earlier that day, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, crews loaded fighter jets with armaments and pilots ran drills in case they were called on to strike.
Dan Keeler, the carrier's commanding officer, told thousands of crew members aboard that things were heating up, CNN said.
Even as preparations continued, fighter pilots kept up routine defensive operations, with flights taking off throughout the day and night, it added.
