What happened
Villagers near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have been experiencing a high level of tension for the past ten days due to a mysterious incident involving US bombers at the base.
The US has been using the base as a staging post for airstrikes in the Middle East since March, when former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer granted Washington permission to do so.
Tensions in the area had been mounting for some months, with a notably heavier police presence after threats from Tehran. In July, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps singled out Fairford as a target and threatened to attack it.
The incident began when a local farmer spotted three abandoned white vans on a country road, and later saw a group of men in balaclavas darting through trees and across fields towards the airbase.
Police arrived at the scene, arrested five young men, and declared a major incident. A large emergency services presence was put in place, and 85 households were ordered to evacuate their homes immediately.
The US has since withdrawn its fleet of B-1 bombers from the base to prevent them from being targeted in a potential Iranian drone attack.
