U.S. intelligence analysts initially questioned the credibility of Israeli intelligence warning that Iran was plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump, even as the threat ultimately prompted an extraordinary security operation in which Trump was secretly transferred to a different military aircraft while leaving Turkey, according to current and former U.S. officials cited by The Washington Post.

The Israeli intelligence ultimately led American security officials to take exceptional precautions during Trump’s departure from a NATO conference in Ankara, including concealing his movements and quietly moving him from the presidential Boeing 747 to a smaller U.S. Air Force aircraft.

According to the report, Israeli authorities first provided information about the alleged Iranian assassination plot to the CIA. Analysts at the agency examined the intelligence but reportedly found it less than persuasive, conveying their doubts to officials in the Trump administration.

One official characterized the intelligence underlying the threat as “Israeli-derived, not US-generated, and viewed as low confidence.”

Those reservations provide new insight into the extraordinary precautions taken by the White House and Secret Service on July 8, when Trump departed the NATO gathering in Turkey.

Security officials initially considered whether the Boeing 747-8 recently provided by Qatar had sufficient defensive capabilities to safely transport the president amid the potential threat. Trump ultimately boarded the regular Air Force One Boeing 747 in Ankara.

But the security operation did not end there.

In a highly secretive maneuver, Trump subsequently left the presidential aircraft and was moved across the airport in a catering vehicle. He then boarded a U.S. Air Force C-32A, which transported the president and a small contingent of aides to the United Kingdom.

The unusual operation was apparently designed to make Trump’s actual travel arrangements considerably more difficult to track.

Asked Wednesday about the reported intelligence and the skepticism with which American agencies initially viewed it, the White House declined to discuss the underlying intelligence assessment.

“As the President has said, he has faced numerous threats on his life, including ones from Iran, and every measure is taken to ensure his safety,” a US official said in a statement provided to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive subject matter.

“The United States Secret Service’s core mission is protecting the President, which they achieved.”

The CIA declined to comment on the report. The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.

Despite doubts within the U.S. intelligence community about the reliability or immediacy of the Israeli warning, White House and Secret Service officials ultimately determined that the potential danger warranted extraordinary precautions.

One American official said the elaborate aircraft switch in Ankara reflected the security detail’s unwillingness to take unnecessary risks involving the president.

“The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they’re not taking any chances,” the official noted, adding, “They did what they had to do.”

The existence of Israeli intelligence concerning a possible Iranian threat against Trump was first reported last month by The Wall Street Journal.

Trump addressed the secretive aircraft switch publicly for the first time Tuesday night, saying that the decision was made by the Secret Service and that he simply followed the directions of his security detail.

“It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do,” Trump remarked to reporters, stating, “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety. … I do what they say.”

{Matzav.com}