CIA viewed Israel's intelligence on the Iranian threat to Trump skeptically before the plane change in Ankara - WP

U.S. intelligence officials were skeptical of the threat by Iran to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump, which was conveyed by Israel and led to an extraordinary secret maneuver in which he secretly flew out of Turkey on an alternative military aircraft, citing current and former U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence, The Washington Post reports, UNN writes.

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"The assassination threat was conveyed by the Israeli government to the CIA, where analysts did not consider the intelligence convincing and passed that skepticism on to Trump administration officials," one official said.

Another official described reports of threats to Trump's life "which were obtained from Israel, not the United States, and were considered to have a low level of credibility."

Doubts in some circles about the immediate threat to the president add a new element to the White House's decision last month to conceal Trump's whereabouts when he departed the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, the publication notes.

The White House on Wednesday did not directly respond to questions about the intelligence received by the United States or how it was viewed by U.S. officials.

"As the president has said, he has faced numerous threats to his life, including from Iran, and every measure is being taken to ensure his safety," a U.S. official said. "The primary mission of the U.S. Secret Service is to protect the president, which is what they accomplished," he stated.

Trump confirmed a secret flight from Turkey with a decoy aircraft12.08.26, 08:31 • 23226 views