Netanyahu says Israel gave UK intelligence on Fairford
Counter-terror police have said a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found in the vans that sparked the security alert
Last updated 1st Oct 2026
Israel handed Britain intelligence about a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed.
The Israeli prime minister said his country warned UK authorities about the “Iranian-sponsored attack” shortly before Britain’s announcement of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
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.
In an interview with US broadcaster Fox News, Mr Netanyahu said: “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 slapped sanctions on us. On us.
“It’s wild, the caving in, the collapse before the Islamist-Marxist alliance is very dangerous for the future of the West.”
Mr Netanyahu did not provide further details, but he appeared to suggest the UK Government was given the intelligence before it unveiled its trade ban.
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.
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.
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 Liberal Democrats’ foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said: “The security of our military bases is critical.
“The PM says Iran may be behind the threat to Fairford. If confirmed, the UK should expel all Iranian ‘diplomats’ who have assisted acts of terror on UK soil – up to and including the Iranian ambassador.”
The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment about Mr Netanyahu’s claim.
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