After President Joe Biden made a hasty decision to visit Israel during a war with Hamas earlier this week, the Secret Service was forced to scramble to coordinate security details.

Biden announced publicly that he was going to Israel and Jordan, though in the past, trips to war zones by presidents were covert affairs.

In a piece for the ABC News website, Donald Mihalek, a retired Secret Service agent, noted that presidential trips to war zones, dating back to President Abraham Lincoln, are fairly common. But she noted that, in the modern era, those trips were covertly scheduled and made in order to prevent any pre-planning by bad actors.

This trip, however, was projected in advance by his communications team.

“On Wednesday, I’ll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack. I’ll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” said an X post for Biden.

On Wednesday, I'll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas's brutal terrorist attack.

I'll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians' right to self-determination.

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 17, 2023

Mihalek responded to the telegraphing of Biden’s plans.

“To handle this, the Secret Service, will have to work with White House staff, agents of the Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Embassy and in this case, their foreign counterparts — Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency,” she wrote. “Shin Bet, in addition to their counter-terrorism duties, handle the protective functions for Israel’s prime minister and president, who will surely be under the same security bubble when President Biden visits.”

“The Secret Service’s Protective Intelligence unit works closely with both U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies to identify, investigative [sic] and mitigate any negative intelligence focused on the presidential visit,” Mihalek added. “That mitigations may come in the form of kinetic or passive protective measures that are put in place before and during a visit.”

For the record, Biden’s planned trip to Jordan was canceled after reports that a hospital in Gaza had been struck. Early reports claimed that Israeli forces targeted the structure, but subsequent reports said that it was the result of a rocket barrage misfire by Hamas.