Israel Hands US Curiously-Timed Intelligence Saying Iran Plotting To Assassinate Trump

Update(21:00ET): Here's what President Trump said from Ankara on Wednesday which left many wondering just what he was referring to: "They want to take out the U.S. leader—me," he said in reference to the Iranians. "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."

The Wall Street Journal in a Thursday evening report says that Israel has provided fresh intelligence to the White House indicating just such a Tehran-linked plot. The timing is quite curious and interesting given it comes just as the warring sides standing on the brink of returning once again to full-scale war:

Israel shared new intelligence with the U.S. that it said indicated a fresh Iranian plan to kill President Trump, people familiar with the matter said, a finding that would mark an escalation in the war between Washington and Iran.

Iran for years has vowed openly to retaliate against Trump for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who was a top general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the president’s first term.

The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment. Iran’s Mission to the United Nations didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House referred The Wall Street Journal to comments the president made on Wednesday.

The Israelis have remained deeply dissatisfied with terms laid out in the previously agreed-to MoU, and so have every incentive to goad Washington further into the conflict. Certainly many within the US administration know this, and so might be taking this new 'intelligence warning' - which was leaked rather quickly to major media - with the appropriate degree of skepticism.

Meanwhile the US says it is still engaged in 'technical talks' with Iran, despite the past days of tit-for-tat bombings. "Technical talks between the US and Iran are continuing, according to a US official, following two days of clashes that threatened to shatter an already fragile ceasefire between the two nations," reports Bloomberg, also late in the day Thursday. "The US is still committed to finding a solution with Iran, the official said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter."

So it appears there's still hope that things might not spiral further. As for the alleged assassination plot, this isn't the first time Iran has faced such accusations, and each time Tehran officials have vehemently denied them.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/return-war-iran-sends-ballistic-missiles-kuwait-bahrain-qatar-jordan-after-us-struck

Marines open units on East and West Coast to focus on drone warfare

The new units, based in Quantico, Virginia, and Twentynine Palms, California, will experiment with new technologies and develop training for deploying Marines.

The Marine Corps is standing up two new organizations focused on drone warfare at its major training bases on the East and West coasts. Based at Marine training hubs at Twentynine Palms, California, and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, the two units will develop and test drone tactics, technology, and training for Marines headed to real-world deployments.

Both new units are part of the Marine Corps’ full court press to adapt to new battlefield realities as small, inexpensive drones become prolific in war zones.

The two units will have different missions. The Virginia group will be an experimental counter-drone team within the Weapons Training Battalion, testing new technologies and tactics. The California-based unit will develop doctrine and training courses for instructors to train and certify fleet units with upcoming real-world deployments.

Dubbed the Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group, the West Coast unit will be based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms. The group will develop training and certification requirements for deploying units on using and defending against unmanned systems, said Maj. Hector Infante, a spokesman for Training and Education Command.

“The Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group provides the institutional framework necessary to rapidly integrate validated capabilities into standardized training,” Maj. Gen. Mark H. Clingan, the commanding general at Twentynine Palms, said in a statement. “The battlefield continues to demonstrate that small unmanned aircraft systems are no longer niche capabilities; they are indispensable tools for reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and survivability.”

In Virginia, the new counter drone team will experiment with the constant stream of new technologies and techniques around unmanned vehicles in use around the world, according to a Wednesday news release on the team,

The team was conceived as a counterpart to the Marine Corps’ attack drone team, which was established last year at Quantico, the news release says.

Both the attack team and counter drone team, the release said, will feed their results to the robotics group at Twentynine Palms to inform their training plans.

The two new units are part of an overall effort in the Marines to bring drones to line units. Other programs have included equipping Marines headed to the Middle East with an advanced system to help them shoot down drones and training Marines how to dig trenches that can protect them from small quadcopters.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-drone-organizations-2026/

Diplomat reveals number of Russian civilian casualties from past week’s attacks by Ukraine

38 Russian civilians, including one child, were killed, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

38 Russian civilians, including one child, were killed and 270 others were injured in Ukrainian attacks over the past week, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment on the Ukraine crisis.

"Over the past week, 308 civilians suffered at the hands of Ukrainian militants. Of them, 38 people, including one child, were killed and 270 others, including eight children, were injured," the comment reads.

According to Zakharova, the Nazi regime of Vladimir Zelensky "is attempting to intensify terror against Russia’s civilian population and infrastructure." "[This is] to demonstrate to the Western curators the efficiency of the use of weapons being supplied by them and the need to increase military aid to Ukraine further," she explained.

https://tass.com/politics/2158417

IRGC: US command center, airbase in Jordan crushed with 10 missiles

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says it has struck a US command and control center in West Asia and the al-Azraq airbase in Jordan with 10 ballistic missiles, in a second wave of retaliation for American strikes on Iranian territory.

The IRGC Aerospace Force carried out the attacks at 14:20 local time on Thursday. The strikes came hours after Iran's initial retaliatory operations against US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday and Thursday.

"In our previous statement, we said that any repetition of aggression would expand our response to other enemy bases in the region," the IRGC said in a statement.

"In this second phase, we have made good on that threat against the aggressions of the child-killing American military."

The statement said, "The enemy's command and control center in West Asia and the al-Azraq airbase in Jordan were crushed with 10 ballistic missiles."

The al-Azraq base is a key facility used by American forces in Jordan. The IRGC statement warned that further attacks would follow if US aggression continued.

"Should the terrorist US military repeat its aggression, the remaining US bases in the region will not be spared from our heavy fire," the IRGC statement said.

The missile barrage follows a significant escalation in the confrontation between Tehran and Washington, which began when US forces carried out illegal and unprovoked attacks on its coastal areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

Iranian media reported explosions in multiple areas, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Konarak, Chabahar, and Mahshahr, with strikes also hitting a railway line connecting Tehran to Mashhad and bridges in eastern Iran.

Iranian officials said at least 14 Iranian servicemen and civilians were martyred and 78 others wounded in the terrorist US attacks.

In response, the IRGC launched a crushing retaliation, striking 85 US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday. Key facilities hit included Port Salman, the US Fifth Fleet's area in Bahrain, Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and bases in Bahrain's Juffair and Sheikh Isa.

The IRGC also said it shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone that attempted to interfere with its operations.

Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, made clear the Islamic Republic's position: "If you strike, you will be struck back. The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats."

The IRGC has demonstrated that its missile capabilities are precise and capable of reaching deep into enemy territory. The destruction of the al-Azraq base, a critical hub for US and coalition operations in the region, marks a significant escalation in Iran's military response.

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/07/09/771916/IRGC-strikes-USCommand-Center–West-Asia