Israel Shared Intelligence with U.S. Warning of New Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump

What the Intelligence Shows

Israel recently shared intelligence with the United States indicating Iran had developed a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Thursday, July 9, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that mourners at the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei chanted for Trump's death and displayed a banner reading, "We Will Kill Trump." That public display is documented. The specific operational plot described in the intelligence is, by definition, unverified in open sources. It is an intelligence assessment passed between allies, not a confirmed arrest or interdicted attack.

Iran has publicly vowed retaliation against Trump for years, tracing directly to the January 2020 U.S. strike in Baghdad that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Trump's Own Words at Ankara

Trump addressed the threats on Wednesday during a news conference at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. His remarks, quoted by both the Wall Street Journal and Fox News Digital:

"They want to take out the U.S. leader — me. 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. These are evil, sick people. And we have to root out that cancer. That cancer. You know what you do? You've got to cut out cancer early. And that's the way I feel."

The White House, when asked directly about the Wall Street Journal's report, referred Fox News Digital to those remarks rather than issuing a separate statement.

The Backdrop: A Fragile Ceasefire and a Public Rift

The intelligence surfaced during a period of visible tension between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what comes next with Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that Netanyahu has pushed for continued military pressure on Tehran, while Trump has worked to preserve a ceasefire that followed U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last month.

On Thursday, Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone. Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying the two agreed to continue coordination and that Trump updated the Israeli leader on recent U.S. activity in the Gulf. Netanyahu has publicly rejected characterizations of a rift with Trump, saying the two remain aligned on Iran.

The timing is notable. Israel sharing an assassination-plot warning with Washington could serve multiple purposes simultaneously, including reinforcing the argument for keeping pressure on Tehran rather than locking in a ceasefire. This does not mean the intelligence is fabricated. Intelligence sharing between allies is routine and the threat from Iran against Trump is well-documented. But it is context a serious reader should hold.

The Strongest Counter-Argument

Skeptics of this reporting have a reasonable concern. U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies have, historically, shared threat assessments that later turned out to be overstated or shaped by policy preferences. In a moment where Netanyahu wants continued military pressure on Iran and Trump is moving toward a ceasefire, a fresh assassination plot that lands in Washington headlines could be read as leverage in that internal dispute. This is not a claim that the plot is invented. It is an observation that the strategic incentives for surfacing this intelligence right now are worth acknowledging. The plot's existence rests on anonymous sourcing in the Wall Street Journal. No named official in any government has confirmed it publicly.

What Is and Is Not Established

What is confirmed: Israel passed intelligence to the U.S. about an alleged Iranian plan, according to people familiar with the matter as cited by the Wall Street Journal. Trump acknowledged being on Iranian targeting lists. Iranian mourners publicly called for his death at Khamenei's funeral. Iran has never renounced its stated goal of retaliating for Soleimani's killing.

What is NOT confirmed: the specific nature, timeline, or operational details of the alleged plot. No arrests have been announced. No interdiction has been described. Iran's Mission to the United Nations had not responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment as of the reporting.

No U.S. or Israeli investigation has been publicly announced, and no charges have been filed against any named individual.

The Open Question

The unresolved issue is whether this intelligence assessment will alter Trump's ceasefire posture. If Tehran is simultaneously negotiating a halt to hostilities while Iranian security services are developing assassination plans, that is a fundamental problem for any durable agreement. Whether Trump treats the reported plot as a reason to harden terms, walk away from the ceasefire, or press ahead regardless is a decision with consequences well beyond his personal security.