The US Air Force has withdrawn its bombers from a British air base used to launch strikes against Iran after reports of a possible Iranian drone attack, according to two US officials quoted in multiple reports.
A third US official said the bombers could be deployed from other locations, making it sensible to move them as a precaution.
The withdrawal from RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London, also comes after a British counter-terrorism investigation into an alleged plot targeting the base.
A US Defence Department official confirmed that all US bombers deployed to RAF Fairford had returned to their home bases in the United States.
"US Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements," the official said.
"The Airmen that operate America's bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities — including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States — anywhere, anytime," the official added.
At least 12 bombers were involved in the withdrawal, including several that had only recently arrived in Britain as part of a rotation, according to two Pentagon officials.
They said the decision to send the aircraft back to the US was not prompted by a new or separate threat to RAF Fairford, but by existing threat reporting.
They did not provide further details.
Terror Investigation The withdrawal comes as British authorities investigate a suspected terrorist plot linked to the air base.
Counter-terrorism police arrested a seventh man on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old London resident was detained "on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the....
