Report: US officials questioned Israeli intelligence behind Trump’s clandestine flight

US intelligence officials were skeptical of an Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump during his visit to Turkey, according to The Washington Post. The threat was relayed by Israel, but CIA analysts did not view the intelligence as compelling, with one US official describing it as low confidence.

Despite the skepticism, a covert plane swap was executed out of extra caution. Trump was secretly shuttled in an airport catering truck to an alternate military aircraft that flew him from Ankara to Britain. According to Haaretz, some US intelligence sources believed that Israel also relayed the threat in an attempt to influence Trump's policy in the region.

The swap involved Trump's two most senior Cabinet members, Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary, flying out on what was effectively a decoy plane, while Trump was moved to a smaller military jet, a senior US official said.

Brief written by urgent.news from Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Haaretz, Associated Press, Winnipeg Free Press, The Times of Israel — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.