Israel warned UK over ‘Iranian attack’ ahead of RAF Fairford incident, Netanyahu claims

Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel had warned the UK about an “Iranian-sponsored attack” ahead of the incident at RAF Fairford.

Asked about the “recent scare in Britain”, Mr Netanyahu told US broadcaster Fox News the situation was “wild” and “absurd”.

The prime minister of Israel added: “You talked about the thing in Britain. Do you want to hear how absurd things are there? And how far the anti-Israeli propaganda has gone?

“We gave the Brits the intel, that there was going to be an attack, and it’s an Iranian-sponsored attack, and pretty much the next day they slap sanctions on us.

“It’s wild, the caving in, the collapse before the Islamist-Marxist alliance is very dangerous for the future of the West.”

He did not clarify whether he was specifically referring to the alleged bomb plot at RAF Fairford.

Andy Burnham has said there were “strong indications” Iran played a part in the incident near the Gloucestershire military base which resulted in five men being arrested and then bailed.

The announcement of the sanctions last month, in response to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, sparked a diplomatic row between the Israeli and UK governments.

Mr Burnham on Wednesday said the Government believed Iran “played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford”, and that he could give no further details about the “ongoing, complex and serious police investigation”.

Five British nationals, all in their mid-20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism near the military sit over the weekend before being bailed under investigation on Monday.

It is understood that one of the suspects called the police around an hour before a farmer said she called 999 at 1.36am on Sunday after discovering three vans blocking a road near the base.

RAF Fairford has been used in recent months by US bombers after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer granted the US permission to use British bases for “defensive” strikes against Tehran during the Middle East war.

Counter-terror police have said a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found in the vans that sparked the security alert near the airbase.

Potential involvement by Iran was understood to be one line of inquiry for British investigators and the nation has used proxies in the past to carry out acts in the UK, but its London embassy fiercely denied any involvement in the events in Gloucestershire.

After US President Donald Trump criticised the decision to release the suspects, the prime minister insisted the UK was working closely with US and that the authorities had the situation under “the strongest grip”.

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment about Mr Netanyahu’s claim.

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