Israeli Officials Tell US That Iran Plans to Assassinate Trump

Iran has reportedly come up with a plan to kill President Trump, according to Israeli intelligence findings. Outlets across the political spectrum focused on Iran's ongoing desire for Trump's assassination, while others focused on the significance of the report coming from Israel.

The Details: An Israeli source reportedly shared information of Iran's "desire" to target Trump and told CNN (Lean Left bias) that Iran's new Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander was part of a group advocating for such a plan. Despite this, CNN reported "a specific, detailed plan" hasn't been formed to carry out such an operation. It also cited two US sources familiar with the matter that said US intelligence assessments "show no indication of a new, specific Iranian plot to kill Trump" though it noted that "chatter" of wanting to kill Trump "is not unique to Iran's leadership." The Hill (Center) reported the development came after Trump departed this week's NATO summit in Turkey on the old Air Force One amid security concerns.

For Context: The development comes after a days-long funeral this week for former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during ongoing strikes. Millions of mourners attended the six-day event and several were pictured holding up signs advocating for Trump's assassination, with some saying, "Hey Trump we will kill you" and "We Will Kill Trump," along with chants against America. Several outlets noted that Iran's calls for Trump's death aren't new and that Iran has openly pledged to retaliate against Trump for the 2020 assassination he ordered of IRGC general Qassem Soleimani.

Israel and Netanyahu: In its headline, CNN contextualized the findings within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to "influence [the] course of the war." The Wall Street Journal (Center) emphasized recently "splintered" relations between Trump and Netanyahu as "their interests diverged over continuing the Iran war." It noted Netanyahu has "advocated for keeping up attacks on Iran and accomplishing more war aims," while "Trump has sought a way out of the conflict." The Journal described ongoing coordination between the US and Israel as the Iranian war has continued.

Trump's Response: Trump told the New York Post (Right) on Friday that he's "left instructions…to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before" should Iran succeed in assassinating him. Trump told the Post there was "no fresh plan from Iran," but noted Tehran has wanted him dead for years. He said, "No, no. Israel came up with nothing…I've been No. 1 [on Iran's kill list] for a long time, and it's the way life is, you know." The Post contextualized the threats within other attempted assassination plots against the president and ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Iran.

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