The U.S. military urgently evacuated 12 B-1 bombers from Fairford Base in the UK, which was related to the rising threat intelligence from Iran.

The U.S. B-1B Lancer strategic bomber took off from Royal Air Force Base Fairford, England, on October 4, and all 12 B-1s were subsequently withdrawn to the United States. (Picture taken from Lee Hathaway/Telegram)

The US military has recently withdrawn all 12 B-1 Lancer strategic bombers deployed at Royal Air Force Base Fairford (RAF Fairford) in the United Kingdom back to the United States. The evacuation process was extremely hasty. Some bombers had even taken off first, and aerial tankers to support the return to the United States were still being urgently dispatched. U.S. officials revealed that the decision was related to a sudden increase in Iran-related threat intelligence in the past 24 hours.

The New York Times reported on the 4th that the speed of evacuation from Fairford Base was quite unusual. This batch of B-1s was originally deployed at a base in southern England, and some of them only arrived the week before. U.S. officials said that relevant threat intelligence emerged about three weeks ago, but in the past 24 hours, the intelligence details have increased and the urgency has also increased significantly, making U.S. commanders believe that it is necessary to quickly evacuate the bombers and crews.

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U.S. European Command confirmed on the 4th that all U.S. bombers deployed at Fairford Base had been redeployed to the U.S. mainland, but did not explain the content of the new threat warning. The British Ministry of Defense also declined to comment on the redeployment of US military assets. Reports pointed out that when some bombers and crews took off, aerial tankers to support the return to the United States were even being dispatched. As of the 4th, at least three B-1s had arrived at their home base in South Dakota.

Israel warns US bases in Germany are on alert simultaneously

The evacuation occurred after British police responded to a series of suspected terrorist attacks around the base. The police arrested five men near the Fairford base on September 27. They were traveling around the base in a white van. They were allowed to post bail the next day, but the police said the investigation was still ongoing. On October 1, the British police arrested another British-Iranian dual national on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last week that the British government believed Iran was involved in planning related incidents. Officials from the United States, Britain, Germany and Israel believe that the operation may be related to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or another military command in Tehran. Iran denies relevant accusations.

The New York Times also pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli intelligence officials had warned the UK of a possible Iranian-backed attack, but did not provide a clear target at the time. U.S. officials also revealed that Israel had warned Germany that U.S. military bases in Germany faced higher risks, including the Ramstein and Spangdahlem bases.

The U.S. military emphasizes that B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers still have global precision strike capabilities and can also take off from the United States to perform missions. After the evacuation of Fairford, investigations into security threats and related cases around the base continue.