US President Donald Trump arrives for a press conference at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday. [EPA]
US President Donald Trump arrives for a press conference at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday. [EPA]

Israel recently shared intelligence with the United States indicating that Iran is considering a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, the Journal said the intelligence had been passed to Washington and could introduce a new factor that further heightens tensions between the US and Iran.

The Israeli government did not officially confirm the report. The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment, and Iran's mission to the UN did not immediately respond to the Journal's request for comment.

The White House did not issue a separate statement, instead directing reporters to Trump's recent public remarks.

Trump addressed the threat to his personal safety directly when speaking to reporters Friday at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

"They want to eliminate me — the leader of the United States," he said. "I am on all of their lists. I saw the list this morning, Friday."

"I've been lucky so far, but that luck won't last forever," he added.

Iran has for years vowed to retaliate for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, who died in a US airstrike in 2020 during Trump's first term.

The Journal reported that relations between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had cooled somewhat in recent weeks over disagreements about the war with Iran.

Netanyahu has pushed to continue expanding military operations against Iran, while Trump has been seeking an exit strategy amid concern over the prolonged conflict's impact on the global economy.

The US brokered a fragile truce with Iran last month.

However, the two leaders spoke by phone Friday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and agreed to maintain cooperation.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Trump and Netanyahu agreed to continue bilateral coordination across the Middle East, and that Trump also briefed Netanyahu on recent US activity in the Gulf.

The Journal reported that Trump and Netanyahu had spoken frequently in the early stages of the war to share strike targets and intelligence updates, but that some calls in recent weeks had been marked by tension over differing views on how to handle Iran.


sjy@heraldcorp.com