EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Donald Trump Assassination Plot Shot Down — How Florida Airport Security Breach is Tied to Would-Be Iranian Killers

A shocking security breach at Palm Beach International Airport prompted the Air Force to scramble F-16 fighter jets and deploy flares – just hours before Air Force One was to take off for Washington with President Donald Trump on board.

RadarOnline.com can reveal that, now top military sources and intelligence experts said the frightening March incident was the result of a shadowy assassination plot on the president by Iranian sleeper agents.

"There is no doubt about it," said retired Army Gen. Paul Vallely, who added the President has had a bull's-eye on his back since the war on Iran began in February.

"The Iranians have been looking for payback ever since Trump took out the ayatollah in the first days of the war," agreed one foreign affairs expert with close ties to the administration.

"They know they can't win on the battlefield, so they need to turn to assassination as the only effective response they can muster. Drones operated by sleeper agents installed in key positions throughout the country are a key element in the toolkit."

The panic at the airport just miles from the president's Palm Beach estate was ignited after an unidentified drone violated the restricted airspace around the estate, leading helicopters to investigate.

Tensions escalated moments later when F-16 fighter jets scrambled to intercept an unidentified civilian aircraft, which also invaded the restricted area.

The pilot eventually responded and the plane was escorted out of the area, but the fate of the drone remains unclear.

When asked for comment, the Federal Aviation Administration mysteriously declined to explain the ground stop.

"The fact that the fate or identity of the drone has not been made public is a clear sign it represented a real danger," according to the intelligence expert.

"And drone threats have now become a frontline focus in America since the war began."

The Pentagon is reportedly putting plans in place to install an anti-drone laser system on Fort Lesley J. McNair base in Washington, D.C., where both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reside while in the nation's capital.

"You can be sure that if that is being done for those two, it's already in place for the president – and maybe the answer to what happened to that drone at PBI," the intelligence source explained.

The laser solution comes after multiple domestic military bases raised their force-protection levels to "Charlie," a designation used to indicate a possible drone attack.

McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, which houses U.S. Central Command offices, both issued Charlie alerts in March.

On March 9, a large number of "unauthorized drones" were seen flying over Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, home to long-range B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, triggering a facility lockdown.

And as early as February, ABC News reported the FBI issued an unverified warning that Iran was allegedly plotting a surprise attack on California using drones.

Security experts say Iran has activated nearly 20,000 sleeper agents who entered the U.S. from 2021 to early 2025 during former President Joe Biden's administration – and as many as 18,000 of the terrorists are unaccounted for.

"The numbers are deeply concerning," said Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Just as concerning, a federal jury convicted Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, of being an Iranian assassin.

"Merchant ... entered the United States intending to commit acts of terror, and ultimately, to facilitate the assassination of U.S. government officials, including President Trump," said John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security.