Was Trump Targeted in Turkey? CIA Had 'Low Confidence' in Israeli Intel That Spooked Secret Service

CIA analysts held 'low confidence,' in the Israeli intelligence that spooked the Secret Service about Iranian threats to the US President in Turkey, concluding that the warning lacked verifiable backing and potentially served to influence US foreign policy, reports said.

Despite the profound scepticism voiced by US intelligence agencies, the Secret Service refused to gamble with the commander-in-chief's safety.

Operating under an uncompromising protective mandate following previous security close calls, agents bypassed the presidential aircraft entirely and quietly evacuated the president to a secure military jet, leaving senior officials divided over whether the threat was genuine or a tactical intelligence bluff.

The dramatic departure in Ankara, Turkey, last month unfolded as Donald Trump prepared to depart a high-profile NATO summit.

Israeli intelligence channels had alerted Washington that hostile operatives tracked the president to his hotel floor and were plotting a surface-to-air missile attack against Air Force One.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that US intelligence officials did not find the Israeli warnings compelling.

Analysing the CIA Response To Israeli Intel

According to US officials, the threat assessment was dismissed internally by some as being designed to influence American policy. One official characterised the intelligence as strictly 'Israeli-derived, not US-generated, and viewed as low confidence' during internal reviews.

A former official suggested to reporters that the incident fit a broader pattern of allied intelligence potentially attempting to shape, rather than simply inform, presidential decision-making.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for instance, was reportedly briefed on the same exact threat assessment but chose to fly on the ostensibly targeted aircraft anyway. His decision suggested a measure of confidence that the skies over Ankara were safe.

The White House has not commented directly on the intelligence discrepancies, though an anonymous official maintained that every measure is taken to ensure the safety of the president in the face of numerous threats from Iran.

Why the Secret Service Evacuated Trump in Turkey

Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times previously reported that the intelligence pointed to an Iranian plot to use surface-to-air missiles against Air Force One.

Reports indicated that operatives had zeroed in on the exact floor of the hotel where the president was staying in the Turkish capital. While the CIA remained doubtful, the Secret Service operates under a vastly different operational mandate.

The agency has already successfully navigated three separate near misses with the current president. An official defended the evacuation protocol by noting that the core mission of the Secret Service is protecting the commander-in-chief, a task they successfully achieved.

The official added that agents 'did what they had to do.' Security officials often must act on threats without waiting for absolute certainty, particularly when shoulder-fired missiles are allegedly involved.

The Broader War and Thwarted Plots Against Trump

The broader threat environment surrounding the current administration has intensified dramatically ever since the US killed senior Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

That hostility escalated into an ongoing war with Iran following the US-Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February. Mourning commemorations for Khamenei have prominently featured public calls for the death of the American president.

Alongside international intelligence disputes, domestic threats have also emerged recently, contributing to the current security environment. Just last month, eight men were indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in a thwarted plot at a UFC event held at the White House in June.

Federal prosecutors allege the group discussed targeting high-value individuals linked to Israel, including Vice-President JD Vance, trillionaire businessman Elon Musk, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These threats demonstrate why presidential security remains exceptionally strict, regardless of CIA scepticism.