Netanyahu: I warned London of an Iranian plan to target an airbase

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he warned Britain of an Iranian plot to attack an airbase, criticizing the UK government's insistence on pressuring his government regarding its dealings with the Palestinians.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday that there are "strong indicators" pointing to Iran's involvement in suspicious activities that led to a major security incident at a British airbase.

Netanyahu explained in an interview with Fox News that his country informed Britain of the intelligence regarding the attack plot shortly before Burnham's government announced on September 8 that it was imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu asked conservative host Sean Hannity, "Do you want to hear how absurd things are there, and how far anti-Israel propaganda has gone?"

He added, "We provided the British with intelligence information indicating that an attack would occur, and that it was an attack supported by Iran. Almost the next day, they imposed sanctions on us."

Netanyahu has for decades warned of the threats posed by Iran, but these warnings have always been met with skepticism.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier spoke about the possibility of an Iranian role in the incident, after a resident reported masked men near small trucks heading to Fairford Air Base.

Since taking office in late July, Burnham has taken a tougher stance towards Israel, stating that his predecessor did not do enough.

Britain imposed sanctions on the settlements amid a wave of violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank against Palestinians.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, with an increase in settler attacks that have resulted in the deaths of several Palestinians and the theft of their property.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the violence, which coincides with Netanyahu's push for new settlements, as "ethnic cleansing."