Israel told the United States about the Iranian assassination threat that caused the US Secret Service to take President Donald Trump off Air Force One and transfer him in a catering truck to a military plane as he prepared to fly out of Turkey last month, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed US official.

Israeli intelligence indicated that Iran had been plotting to use shoulder-to-air missiles to take down Trump’s plane, according to the report.

Senior Trump aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, remained on the plane despite the threat, says the official.

Last month, the newspaper reported that Israeli intelligence had indicated a new plot was in development to assassinate the US president, but did not provide details.

Two US officials told Channel 12 news at the time that the information related to general dialogue between Iranian officials on potentially assassinating the US president, rather than a specific plot.

Trump however denied the initial Wall Street Journal report. “No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” he told the New York Post a day later.

“I’ve been number one [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is,” he added, while warning the United States would “completely decimate and destroy” Iran if it attempts to assassinate the president.

Trump had flown to the NATO summit........

© The Times of Israel