Israel warned, CIA doubted, Secret Service acted: Inside Trump’s secret plane switch

A reported threat to Donald Trump during his departure from Turkey has raised questions after a new report revealed that Israel alerted the CIA, US intelligence officials had low confidence in the warning, and the Secret Service still moved Trump between three aircraft as a precaution. The incident took place on July 8, after the NATO Summit in Ankara, with Trump ultimately flown to Britain aboard a smaller C-32A aircraft.

US intelligence officials reportedly had low confidence in Israeli intelligence warning of a possible Iranian threat to Donald Trump before the US president was secretly moved between three aircraft while leaving Turkey last month. The Washington Post reported that the threat was considered real but not compelling enough by CIA analysts, while the Secret Service decided not to take any chances.

CIA reportedly questioned Israeli intel

According to The Washington Post, Israel relayed intelligence to the CIA about a possible assassination attempt against Trump as he prepared to leave Turkey following the NATO Summit on July 8.

US intelligence officials reportedly described the information as “Israeli-derived, not US-generated, and viewed as low confidence.” CIA analysts were said to have reservations about the intelligence and did not consider it compelling enough.

The concerns were nevertheless passed on to Trump's team, according to the report.

Secret Service chose to act

Despite the intelligence doubts, the Secret Service proceeded with an elaborate security operation.

Trump initially boarded a legacy Air Force One aircraft after leaving the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8. He was then secretly moved to a smaller Air Force C-32A aircraft.

According to the report, Trump was transported between aircraft in an airport catering truck before flying with a small group of aides to Britain's Mildenhall air base. F-16 fighter jets reportedly escorted the aircraft.

A US official told the Post that the Secret Service did not want to take any chances given previous threats against Trump.

“The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they’re not taking any chances,” the official said.

Trump says he followed Secret Service advice

Trump later confirmed that he had switched aircraft but said the decision was made by the Secret Service.

“It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do,” Trump said.

He added that officials wanted him to use another aircraft because it offered an equivalent level of safety.

Why Israel's warning is under scrutiny

The reported intelligence has also raised questions within the US intelligence community about the nature of Israeli intelligence-sharing.

The Post reported that some US officials believed the warning may have been intended not only to alert Washington but also to influence Trump's decision-making and US policy towards the region.

A former US official described the intelligence as part of a broader pattern in which some officials believe Israeli reporting can serve both an intelligence and policy-shaping purpose.

The report does not establish that the warning was deliberately fabricated or that Israel had an ulterior motive. It highlights a disagreement over the confidence placed in the intelligence.

Iran threat concerns remain

Concerns about possible Iranian attempts to target Trump and other senior US officials have persisted since the 2020 US killing of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force.

According to the Post, those concerns intensified following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials during the Iran war in February.

Trump has also survived three known assassination attempts since his 2024 presidential campaign, although the Post reported that there is no known link between those suspects and Iran.

What the report reveals

The episode highlights a distinction between intelligence confidence and security decisions.

CIA analysts reportedly considered the Israeli warning low confidence, but the Secret Service chose to act because the potential consequences of ignoring a genuine threat were considered too serious.

The result was an unusually secretive departure involving three aircraft, a catering truck transfer and fighter-jet escort — even though US intelligence agencies reportedly remained uncertain about the strength of the original threat.