A credible threat by Iranian proxy forces targeting President Donald Trump and his aircraft led US officials to abruptly swap planes during his recent departure from Turkey, according to a report Friday by The New York Times, citing individuals familiar with the matter.
The security warning arose while the president was attending a NATO gathering in Ankara. Trump had arrived in the Turkish capital aboard a Boeing 747-8 recently donated by Qatar - a plane that lacks the full set of defensive systems installed on the long-serving Air Force One fleet, as The Times previously revealed.
Upon gathering intelligence about the impending hazard, the Secret Service advised Trump to change aircraft for his departure. Shortly thereafter, the president made a public announcement confirming he would fly out using the older Boeing aircraft.
The newly disclosed intelligence explains the White House's rapid decision to substitute aircraft and highlights ongoing questions regarding the defense capabilities of the Qatari-donated plane, which Trump had pushed to put into operation swiftly. Sources indicated that the proxy forces were not focusing exclusively on the donated jet, but were instead targeting the president himself regardless of the plane he boarded.
The White House offered no formal statement regarding the report. However, a senior administration official referenced Trump's previous public comments on Iranian plot attempts and expressed full confidence in the measures implemented to safeguard the president and his staff.
Knowledge of the intelligence threat remained tightly held across government channels; some staff members were informed only that the swap served as a precautionary safeguard due to general concerns regarding Tehran. Key lawmakers in Congress were similarly not briefed on the specific details.
Trump initially attributed the aircraft switch to giving US service members deployed in the United Kingdom an opportunity to view the new plane.
When the plane swap occurred, reports indicated Israeli intelligence had warned American agencies about Iranian plot attempts against Trump. Certain US officials met the Israeli intelligence with caution, suspecting it might be intended to push Trump toward escalating military action against Iran.
However, sources told The New York Times that the specific hazard in Turkey that triggered the plane switch was distinct from the intelligence provided by Israel.
At the time of the summit, the United States had resumed military strikes against Iranian targets while Trump was in Ankara, approximately 1,000 miles from Tehran. Speaking to reporters about the aircraft change, Trump explicitly addressed Iranian efforts to harm him.
“They want to take out the US leader - me," he said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long."
Iranian-aligned groups have sought to target Trump since his first term, following the 2020 US drone strike that eliminated top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
Qatar pledged the Boeing 747-8 to Trump last year. Trump has indicated he intends to transfer the aircraft to his presidential library foundation after leaving office. Administration officials described the jet as an interim solution until long-delayed replacement aircraft commissioned from Boeing are ready for service.
Since Trump returned from Turkey, White House representatives stated that the donated plane will be temporarily withdrawn from service for roughly a month this fall for additional retrofitting.
It remains unclear what defense upgrades can be successfully integrated during a one-month window.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)