A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress after landing at RAF Fairford on 6 November 2024. The Gloucestershire base is at the centre of a continuing counter-terrorism investigation. (File photograph: Airman 1st Class Laiken King, US Air Force, public domain)

Netanyahu Says Israel Warned Britain of Iranian Attack Before RAF Fairford Arrests

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Israel warned Britain about an Iranian-sponsored attack shortly before the RAF Fairford terror arrests, and accused London of then hitting Israel with sanctions almost immediately afterwards. The claim, made in a US television interview broadcast overnight, has opened a fresh diplomatic row at the centre of an investigation British counter-terrorism police are still calling hugely complex.

Key facts

• Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel gave Britain intelligence about an Iranian-sponsored attack, and that "pretty much the next day they slapped sanctions on us".
• The Israeli leader was speaking to Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast on Wednesday evening, US time.
• His claim followed prime minister Andy Burnham's statement on Wednesday that there were "strong indications" Iran played a part in the RAF Fairford incident.
• Counter-terrorism police have stopped short of naming Iran publicly. Iran denies any involvement.
• A 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national was arrested in London on Thursday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

What Netanyahu said

Asked by Hannity about the "recent scare in Britain", Netanyahu did not go into operational detail but was blunt about the sequence of events as he sees it.

"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," he said. "It's wild, the caving in, the collapse before the Islamist-Marxist alliance is very dangerous for the future of the West."

The Times, which reported the interview first in the UK, noted an important caveat: it was unclear whether Netanyahu was referring to a specific warning about the RAF Fairford plot or to a more general warning of an Iranian attack. His comments suggested the intelligence was passed before the UK government imposed a ban on goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank last month.

The Press Association carried the same account, reporting that Netanyahu said his country warned UK authorities about the "Iranian-sponsored attack" shortly before Britain announced its ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements. He did not say whether he meant the Fairford incident specifically.

The sanctions backdrop

The row lands on top of an already strained relationship. Last month Britain announced restrictions on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that sparked a diplomatic row between London and Jerusalem. Netanyahu's framing is deliberate: he wants the contrast between shared security intelligence and trade sanctions to look absurd.

Relations have been under strain since Labour took office, and the sanctions announcement widened the gap. From the British side, officials have so far said nothing publicly in response to the Netanyahu claim, and it remains disputed.

The investigation so far

The Fairford investigation began when police declared a major incident near the Gloucestershire base on Sunday 27 September. Five men in their twenties were arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences and were later bailed. A bomb squad was deployed to the area and a quantity of petrol was found in three vans linked to the suspects, but no explosive devices.

The base matters beyond its perimeter fence. RAF Fairford hosts US heavy bombers, and American aircraft have been flying operations against Iran from the airfield in recent months. Investigators believe the five arrested men were offered small amounts of money to act as proxies, according to the Times, though police have not confirmed who was behind any such offer.

On Wednesday, Burnham went further than his ministers had previously. "We can now confirm our belief that Iran played a part," he said, adding that he could not give further details because it remained an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation.

Then on Thursday, Counter Terrorism Policing made a sixth arrest: a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national, detained in the Borough of Westminster on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Two properties in the area were also searched.

President Donald Trump, who first praised British police with a "we got them" message after the initial arrests, turned critical on Monday after the five suspects were bailed.

Known versus unknown

What is established: the interview happened, the quotes are on the record, the UK did impose settlement-goods restrictions last month, the Fairford investigation is ongoing, and the police have not publicly attributed the incident to any state.

What is not established: whether Israeli intelligence actually reached British authorities before the Fairford incident, whether any warning was specific to the base, and whether the suspects had any link to Iran at all. British officials have not corroborated Netanyahu's account. The prime minister's "strong indications" comment and the police's refusal to name a country show how carefully the British side is treading.

What happens next

Netanyahu's intervention puts the government under fresh pressure to explain what it knew and when. If a warning was specific and predated the arrests, ministers will face questions about whether the public was told the full story. If it was a general warning of the kind allies routinely exchange, the claim may turn out to be more political theatre than revelation.

Either way, the investigation will decide the facts. Counter-terrorism detectives are still examining devices and forensic evidence, and the bailed suspects remain under investigation. The government will be hoping the police can establish what really happened near Fairford before the diplomatic row hardens into something worse.

For now, Britain and Israel are trading accusations in public while detectives work in private. That combination rarely produces clarity, but it does produce headlines.

Related coverage

Sixth Man Arrested in RAF Fairford Investigation as Iran Rejects UK Claims

Five Men Arrested Near RAF Fairford as Police Investigate Suspected Terror Plot

Burnham Says There Are Strong Indications Iran Was Behind RAF Fairford Incident

UK Targets Russia's Shadow Fleet and Propagandists in Fresh 31-Measure Sanctions Package

Sources

• The Times, "Netanyahu: Israel gave UK intelligence about RAF Fairford plot", 1 October 2026
• Press Association, "Netanyahu says Israel gave UK intelligence on Fairford", 1 October 2026
• Washington Examiner, "Netanyahu claims Israel gave UK intelligence about Iranian-sponsored attack shortly before being sanctioned", 1 October 2026
• Counter Terrorism Policing, "Update on RAF Fairford investigation", 17:30, 1 October 2026