Israel Warned the CIA of an Alleged Iranian Drone Plot Against Trump and Top U.S. Officials, Reports Say

Israeli intelligence has warned the United States of an alleged Iranian plan to attack President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration with drones, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported Saturday, Nov. 14. The report said the Mossad passed details of the alleged threat to the CIA.^[1] The alleged plot has not been independently confirmed.^[2]

Related: Bessent Says He Won’t Be Cowed by Iranian Threats.

What was reported

Israel Hayom reported that Israel shared intelligence about an alleged Iranian plan to launch a drone attack on Trump and top members of his administration, and that the Mossad passed the details to the CIA. After the warning, several senior U.S. officials were reportedly moved to military bases, and Trump cut back his public appearances and canceled a golf outing scheduled for Saturday, the paper said.^[1]

Ynet separately reported that Israeli intelligence gave Washington specific information about alleged Iranian plans for drone attacks on senior U.S. officials, including Trump.^[2]

Officials living on bases

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Nov. 13 that he moved from his home to a military base on Secret Service instructions, saying Iran had made death threats against him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller have also moved into military housing, news reports say.^[3] Read our full report on the threats against Trump officials, and our earlier story on officials living at Fort McNair.

An earlier Israeli warning

This is not the first such warning. On July 8, at the end of the NATO summit in Ankara, the Secret Service secretly moved Trump from Air Force One to a smaller, unmarked C-32A jet after a threat that the presidential plane could be targeted by a shoulder-fired missile. A person briefed on the matter said the Secret Service considered the threat credible and imminent. The operation became public in August.^[4]

That intelligence came from Israel, and U.S. intelligence agencies had doubts about it, ABC News reported. U.S. and Turkish investigators later found no evidence of an operational plot, one official said.^[5] Trump said he simply followed the Secret Service: “I just follow what they’d like to do.”^[5]

Why it matters

Mossad chief Roman Gofman is in Washington for talks on Iran as Israel presses the United States to renew military operations, Ynet reported.^[2] We covered Gofman’s visit and his meeting with CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Trump has so far appeared reluctant to authorize another round of large-scale strikes.^[2]

Iran’s deputy armed forces chief, Keyoumars Heydari, vowed on state television this week to kill Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.^[6] Trump has been a top target of Iran’s leadership since he ordered the 2020 strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani.^[5] Follow the war on our Iran War Tracker and in war news.

Sources

1. Gulf News: Middle East war: Trump weighs restraint as Israel warns of alleged Iranian plot (live blog, citing Israel Hayom)
2. Ynetnews: Israel sees no immediate Iran threat, but prepares for possible solo strike
3. USA Today: Iran’s threats push Bessent, other Trump officials onto military bases
4. Cyprus Mail (Reuters): Credible missile threat led to secret aircraft switch for Trump, source says
5. ABC7 (ABC News): US intel officials assessed threat to Trump was not credible ahead of Air Force One switch
6. Iran International: Iranian commanders threaten to kill Trump, strike US targets worldwide

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.