Netanyahu Accuses Iran of Assassination Attempts on Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that Iran was behind two assassination attempts against President Trump during the previous presidential elections.

He described Trump as Iran’s greatest threat, particularly regarding its aims to develop nuclear weapons, suggesting this was why the Iranian regime allegedly sought to eliminate him. During an interview on Fox News with Brett Baier, Netanyahu made these emphatic statements as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran following missile exchanges.

“These people chanting ‘death to America’ tried to assassinate President Trump twice,” Netanyahu remarked, emphasizing his message to the American audience as a rallying call against Iran. He asked rhetorically whether anyone wanted Iran to have nuclear capabilities that could target cities across the globe—certainly not, he implied. “We’re not just defending ourselves; we’re defending the world,” he stated.

Baier, seemingly taken aback, pressed Netanyahu for clarification, specifically asking whether he could establish Iran’s direct involvement in these alleged attempts. Netanyahu responded that it was through proxies linked to Iran that they aimed to target Trump.

Despite no evidence from U.S. security agencies tying the assassination attempts to any rigged administration, Trump had previously suggested in September that Iran played a role in them.

Iranian officials have consistently denied any involvement in such plots.

Later in the conversation, Netanyahu humorously noted that he too had been a target but highlighted that Trump was seen as the main adversary by Iran. “They tried to kill me too, but I’m his junior partner. They know Trump poses a significant threat to their nuclear ambitions,” he stated.

In November, the U.S. government reportedly recruited 51-year-old Farhad Shekhari from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps amid these tensions.

Trump survived two assassination attempts while campaigning in the summer of 2024. One incident involved an armed individual—Ryan Rouse—who was arrested with a semi-automatic rifle at the Trump International Golf Club.

Just weeks prior, while at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, Trump narrowly escaped injury when a gunman’s shot missed him, leading to an extraordinary account of survival. “Doctors said it was a miracle I’m here,” he recounted in a previous interview, emphasizing the precariousness of his situation.

In another incident during the same timeframe, a student named Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper after taking a shot at Trump. Rouse bizarrely tied himself to this narrative with a lengthy letter from prison, denouncing the American two-party system.