Israel claims to have shared intelligence on alleged Iranian plot to kill Trump

Israel says it has shared new intelligence data with the United States which it claims reveals an alleged Iranian plot to kill President Donald Trump.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter, the intelligence information has the potential to further heighten tensions between Washington and Tehran.

According to the WSJ, Iran has for years pledged to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who died in an American attack on 3 January 2020 on Trump’s orders.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington was reported to have declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations has yet to respond to the report.

The White House asked The Journal to refer to remarks delivered by Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, on Wednesday regarding the possibility of an assassination attempt against him by Iran.

“They want to kill the leader of the United States, namely me. My name is on every one of their lists. I saw it this morning, my name is on all their lists. So far I may still be lucky, but that luck may not last long,” Trump said.

Amid rising tensions with Iran, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were reported to have spoken by telephone on Thursday. The two agreed to continue coordinating.

Over the past two days, the United States and Iran have launched attacks against each other after Iran struck three merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

In retaliation for the American attacks, which took place over two consecutive nights, Tehran on Thursday launched strikes against US military infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan.