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Morning Edition · Tuesday, October 6, 2026Published at 1:03 AM EDT · New York
US withdraws bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain over an Iranian drone threat, and Trump tells a rally Iran could "take out" Los Angeles
US officials told The New York Times that 12 bombers left the base after specific threat details emerged, and Israeli outlets report that Iran planned an attack modeled on Ukraine's 2025 drone strike on Russian bomber bases.
The US Air Force has moved all the bombers it had at the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Fairford in England back to their home bases in the United States. A Pentagon official told NBC News about the move. Aircraft from the base had been used in strikes on Iran. Globes, citing The New York Times, reported that 12 bombers left because of fears of an Iranian drone attack. US officials said the order came after more specific details of the threat emerged over the weekend. Ynet reported, citing US media, that Iran planned an operation similar to "Spiderweb," Ukraine's June 2025 drone attack on Russian strategic bombers, to hit US aircraft at the British base.
British police arrested a dual British-Iranian national in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack, NBC reported. The arrest followed a security incident at Fairford in late September. The UK government said the base was safe. ITV News reported that US officials were concerned about a "multiple drone attack." Globes also reported that President Donald Trump said he believes Iran was responsible for an attempted attack on a flight. Neither outlet gave further details. No Iranian official response appeared in the reporting reviewed for this article.
At a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump discussed the war and gasoline prices. He said higher fuel prices were "a small price to pay," then added, "Let 'em take out Los Angeles. Let 'em take out San Diego," KTLA reported. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks "deranged and dangerous," Forbes reported. Russia's TASS reported that Trump said the cities "could be destroyed" and noted that he did not explain the remarks.
Part of a tracked trend
Iran War Spills Across Fronts
The US-Iran conflict keeps drawing in new theaters and third parties, from the Red Sea to the Caspian, so its risk premium spreads to infrastructure and shipping lanes previously thought insulated from the Gulf.
Veracity: Plausible
72/100- If true, who benefits
If the framing holds, Washington gains a public case that Iran threatens allied soil, and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham gains grounds for tighter security powers. Tehran gains proof that low-cost threats can push high-value US aircraft back across the Atlantic.
- The nuance
NBC, CNN and Axios confirm the withdrawal and the arrest, and KTLA confirms the Los Angeles remark. The article's line that no Iranian response appeared leaves out that Tehran has denied any role in the plot. The "Spiderweb" comparison comes secondhand from Israeli outlets citing US media, and no charge has yet tested the evidence.
An open-source-intelligence read of how likely this story is true with its real nuance, not a judgment of any outlet. It assesses the claim, weighing independent and adversarial reporting. How we label confidence.
Synthesized from: Ynet (Hebrew) · Globes (Hebrew) · TASS
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