Trump Plane Switch
US President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft while leaving Turkey last month after Israeli intelligence warned US authorities of a possible Iranian threat targeting his aircraft, according to reports.
The extraordinary security operation took place on July 8 after Trump attended the NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump had travelled to Turkey aboard a newly refurbished aircraft gifted by Qatar. Before his departure, however, the plan changed. The president was publicly expected to travel on an older Air Force One, while the new aircraft was sent ahead.
But Trump was not actually aboard the aircraft that carried the White House staff, senior officials and journalists.
Instead, he was secretly transferred to a smaller C-32A government aircraft. The transfer reportedly took place through a catering truck to conceal his movements. The operation remained secret for weeks before details emerged in US media reports.
According to report, the warning about a possible Iranian assassination attempt was relayed to the CIA by Israel. The intelligence reportedly suggested that Iran could target Trump’s aircraft with a missile as he departed Ankara.
However, the credibility of the warning has since become a major point of controversy.
US intelligence officials reportedly had doubts about the information. A US official cited in the Washington Post said CIA analysts did not consider the intelligence compelling and communicated their concerns to officials in the Trump administration.
Another US official reportedly described the intelligence as single-sourced and uncorroborated. The official said the information was Israeli-derived rather than generated by US intelligence and was considered low confidence.
Turkish security services also reportedly investigated the matter but did not find evidence of a specific assassination plot against Trump in Ankara.
The conflicting assessments have raised questions about the extent to which Israeli intelligence influenced US security decisions.
Some US intelligence officials reportedly believe the warning may have been intended not only to alert Washington about a possible threat but also to influence Trump’s decision-making and US policy toward Iran.
There is, however, no publicly confirmed evidence establishing that Israel deliberately fabricated the warning or that Iran had an operational plan to assassinate Trump.
Reuters reported separately that the Secret Service considered the threat credible and imminent, highlighting the difference between the operational security assessment and the doubts reportedly held by some intelligence analysts.
Another unusual aspect of the operation involved senior members of Trump’s Cabinet.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard the aircraft that was effectively being used as a decoy.
A senior US official told the Associated Press that Rubio knew about the aircraft switch and the threat behind it. However, the official did not explain why Rubio remained on the original plane.
Bessent was probably aware of the operation, although the official could not confirm that with certainty.
The aircraft also carried White House staff and members of the travelling press corps. Reuters reported that the press pool included 13 journalists and that a Reuters correspondent and photographer were among those aboard the aircraft.
The passengers believed they were travelling on the aircraft carrying the president, only to learn later that Trump had been secretly moved to another plane.
The decision has prompted questions about whether the operation created additional risks for officials and journalists who remained on the decoy aircraft.
The Secret Service, however, reportedly prioritised Trump’s security and decided that concealing his movements was necessary.Trump later confirmed that he had switched aircraft at the direction of the Secret Service.He told reporters that he simply followed the instructions of the Secret Service and the military.
The episode comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.The United States has remained deeply concerned about possible Iranian retaliation, while Iran has repeatedly opposed US military pressure and policies in the region.The latest revelations therefore add another dimension to the already tense US-Iran confrontation.
At this stage, the reported assassination threat remains unverified publicly. There is no confirmed evidence showing that Iran had a specific operational plan to kill Trump in Ankara.
What is confirmed is that the Secret Service carried out an extraordinary deception operation, moving the president from the aircraft that most people believed he was travelling on to a smaller government jet.
The incident also highlights the increasingly complex security environment surrounding Trump and the extent to which intelligence assessments about Iran are shaping presidential security decisions.
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