Israel warns CIA of alleged Iranian drone plot against Trump — newspaper

Detailed summary

The information prompted US authorities to step up security measures

TEL AVIV, November 15. /TASS/. Israel's Mossad intelligence agency has shared information with the CIA indicating that Iran is planning to target US President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration with drones, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported, citing Israeli and US sources.

The information prompted US authorities to step up security measures, limit Trump's public appearances and move some senior officials to secure locations, the sources told the newspaper.

Israel Hayom reported that the chances of a US-Iran agreement have fallen sharply in recent days, partly due to intelligence Mossad shared with the CIA. Israeli and US sources told the newspaper that the intelligence was among the factors behind Trump's recent shift in approach to negotiations with Tehran.

Earlier this week, US news outlet Axios reported that Mossad Director Roman Gofman had arrived in Washington to discuss the course of the conflict with officials in the US administration. According to the report, Gofman, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest associates, visited Washington while Netanyahu was pressuring Trump to resume military operations against Iran.

On Thursday, Trump said Washington was refraining from taking tougher action in the conflict with Iran at the request of several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia.

The United States and Israel launched the war with Iran on February 28. Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum of understanding in June calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, the US resumed large-scale strikes on Iran overnight on July 8, accusing Tehran of violating the terms of the agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz. About 25% of global oil trade and around 20% of liquefied natural gas trade pass through the strait.

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