Israel Shares Intelligence on Alleged Iranian Plot
Israel provided the United States with new intelligence that it said pointed to an Iranian plot to kill President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said the new intelligence could further escalate the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Background of Tensions
Iran has for years vowed to retaliate against Trump for the Jan. 3, 2020, assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. The Israeli Embassy in Washington reportedly declined to comment, while Iran’s Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House Response
The White House referred the Journal to comments Trump made Wednesday at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkiye. “They want to take out the US leader—me,” he said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
US-Israel Coordination
Despite recent tensions over Iran, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke by phone Thursday and agreed to continue coordination. Iran and the US exchanged attacks over the past two days amid an escalation following Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran launched a series of strikes Thursday on US military infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan in retaliation for a second day of overnight US attacks.
