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PENTAGON CONFIRMS: ALL U.S. B-1 BOMBERS HAVE BEEN PULLED OUT OF RAF FAIRFORD The Pentagon has now confirmed that every American bomber deployed to RAF Fairford has been returned to its home base in the United States following new intelligence surrounding the suspected terrorist plot against the base. A Pentagon spokesperson said operational security prevented the U.S. from confirming the movements in real time, but acknowledged Sunday that all U.S. bombers deployed to Fairford had now redeployed to the United States. According to the NYT, the withdrawal happened at an unusually rapid pace after American commanders received fresh intelligence that dramatically increased the perceived urgency of the threat. At least 10 B-1 bombers departed Fairford on Sunday, including aircraft that had arrived in Britain less than a week earlier as part of a normal rotation. The evacuation was reportedly so urgent that some bombers and their crews began departing for the United States while tanker aircraft assigned to support their flights were still being prepared. U.S. officials said the new intelligence was connected to the same threat warnings that emerged after the suspected plot against RAF Fairford, but that the specificity and urgency of the intelligence increased sharply within the previous 24 hours. British authorities have been investigating whether individuals involved in the Fairford incident were acting on behalf of a foreign state. An Iranian-linked motive has been considered a leading possibility by investigators, while Iran has denied involvement. The threat assessment reportedly also includes concern that future attacks could involve drones. This is what makes the development so striking: Rapidly evacuating an entire deployed bomber force from a major NATO ally because of a security threat is extraordinarily unusual — especially when the base is hundreds of miles from any active battlefield. RAF Fairford has played an important role in U.S. operations connected to Iran, and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards previously warned that bases used for American attacks against Iran could be considered legitimate targets. Whatever intelligence reached U.S. commanders this weekend, they clearly considered it serious enough not to leave the B-1 fleet at Fairford.