TIMELINE: Trump's elaborate covert exit from Turkey amid Iranian threat

A look at what led to the president’s secret departure through a catering truck.

Faced with threats on his life from Iran, President Donald Trump participated in an elaborate plan to hide his flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month using a catering food truck and a military aircraft, sources told ABC News after the ruse was first reported by the Washington Post.

The secret mission was carried out without the knowledge of members of the press traveling with the president and even some White House officials who were still aboard the old traditional Air Force One.

In reality, Trump didn't fly on his old Air Force One or his new Qatari-gifted, lavishly furnished Boeing 747-8 "bridge" Air Force One. Instead, the Post first reported, he'd secretly boarded a smaller, Air Force C-32A military jet to leave the international summit in Ankara in early July.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday night the switch was the decision of the Secret Service and the military, and said he was at "greater risk" on the secret flight.

Here's a timeline of events that led to the president's covert departure.

Intense U.S. airstrikes on Iran resumed after Iran struck vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the end of the ceasefire and 14-point agreement that was signed by the U.S. and Iran on June 17.

President Trump took off from Joint Base Andrews at 9:41 p.m. ET on July 6, flying to Turkey in the new Qatari-gifted aircraft that operates as a "bridge" Air Force One. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were among those traveling with Trump, according to a White House official.

Trump landed in Ankara for a NATO summit on July 7 at 1:51 p.m. local time. He was greeted with an arrival ceremony from Turkish President Recep Erdoğan.

Trump kicked off his participation in the NATO summit with a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. During that meeting, Trump repeatedly called the Iranians "scum" and suggested that they would "go after" him.

The president also nodded to possible threats he’d seen from the Iranians, saying: "They want to take out the U.S. leader -- me. I'm on every list. I saw things 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, because that's the way it goes."

"Of course they're dirty players, so they go after everyone, probably including me. I've been number one on their list for years, and they're a bunch of scum. You want to know that they're scum, and so we don't like them. I don't like them, and they're evil people," Trump added.

According to press pool accounts, the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One was spotted leaving the nation without the president on board.

At 3:42 p.m. local time, Trump announces in a social media post he is sending the new jet to Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom to "give our Great Military Heroes a chance to appreciate our beautiful new addition to the Air Force Fleet!”