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Turkish officials believe an Israeli intelligence report warning that Iran planned to assassinate US President Donald Trump during last month's Nato summit in Ankara may have been fabricated to undermine US negotiations with Tehran, sources told Middle East Eye.
The alleged plot, which prompted a hastily arranged security operation that saw Trump secretly moved between aircraft, has emerged as a new point of friction between Ankara and Israel amid divergent views over how to handle Iran following their recent war.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit took place in Ankara on 7 and 8 July, with the Turkish capital placed under lockdown.
Roads were closed, public servants were given administrative leave, and the city was largely emptied for the event. Turkish authorities converted Etimesgut Air Base, officially designated Ankara Airport, into the summit's arrival point, cutting travel time for visiting heads of state to roughly 10 minutes.
It was against this backdrop that, at around 2pm on 8 July, journalists noticed Turkish security forces unusually reinforcing their presence at the airport, where Trump's Air Force One was parked. US officials had told their Turkish counterparts they had received an intelligence report from Israel indicating Iran could target Trump.
People familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye the report claimed an Iranian covert operations unit could strike the aircraft from within a one-kilometre radius using shoulder-fired missiles known as Manpads.
One person familiar with the matter said, "Supposedly, the Iranians could target the aircraft from within a one-kilometre radius using shoulder-fired missiles known as Manpads."
Unlike Esenboga Airport, Ankara's main international gateway, Ankara Airport sits close to civilian buildings, some as near as 500 metres from the runway, a proximity that added urgency to the security response.
The sources said the US Secret Service pushed for additional protective measures once the warning was received. Officials initially shifted Trump's departure point to Esenboga Airport, where surrounding buildings are set back farther from the perimeter, before deciding instead to bring back an older Air Force One aircraft equipped with air defence systems that the newer plane lacks.
According to The Washington Post, Trump was moved after boarding the older aircraft, reportedly placed in a catering vehicle and driven to an accompanying US government plane, a C-32.
A Turkish official confirmed to MEE that US officials had requested additional landing permits for the C-32 and pushed through last-minute changes, leaving Ankara with the sense that something unusual was unfolding.
Officials in Washington had reason to treat the warning seriously. Iran has twice previously been linked to alleged plots against Trump: in July 2024, Pakistani national Asif Merchant was arrested over an alleged scheme to kill US politicians, potentially including Trump, and in November 2024 the US Justice Department charged Afghan national Farhad Shakeri, alleging Iran's government had directed him to plan an assassination attempt against Trump. Iran has denied targeting Trump or other American officials.
The Israeli report surfaced as Trump was pursuing a deal with Iran aimed at ending the recent war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A source who attended Trump's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told MEE that Trump repeatedly stated the war with Iran had ended and voiced optimism about the negotiations.
That stance stood in contrast to the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which the sources said was pushing for renewed hostilities, including intensified strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure and a fresh campaign targeting Iranian leaders.
Turkish officials now believe the Israeli report may have been designed to cast Netanyahu's government as protecting Trump, while also derailing the Iran talks and straining the US president's evident rapport with Erdogan.
During the same meeting, Trump signalled willingness to lift sanctions imposed on Türkiye over its 2019 purchase of Russia's S-400 missile system and to permit the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, a prospect Netanyahu has also opposed, arguing it would erode Israel's regional military edge.
"Of course, we took the report very seriously and tried to assist our American counterparts as much as possible," one person familiar with the matter said. "Yet it was very clear to us that there was no way this report was true."
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