Netanyahu claims Israel warned UK of Iranian plot before sanctions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel had warned Britain about an Iranian-sponsored plot to target RAF Fairford airbase shortly before the UK announced sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He said the intelligence was provided "just before" the sanctions were imposed. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" of Iranian involvement in suspicious activity near the base, which is used by U.S. forces in the conflict with Iran.

Police investigations found no explosives in the vehicles seized from five British men arrested on suspicion of terrorism, though a quantity of petrol was recovered. The Times reported that one of the suspects had alerted authorities, leading to the foiled operation.

Iran’s embassy in London rejected any involvement, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted that Burnham was "barking up the wrong tree." U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, have also suggested a foreign state may be linked to the incident.

The sanctions were imposed after a series of violent incidents by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, which the UK foreign secretary described as ethnic cleansing. The UK had previously declined U.S. requests to use its bases for attacks on Iran, but later allowed defensive operations from Fairford.