US military personnel have reportedly evacuated aircraft from a British RAF base in Suffolk. Officials have acted in the wake of a threat from Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. The threat level of an attack at RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, has also been raised to Charlie, the third-highest level, meaning officials believe an attack is likely. The nature of the threat remains unclear. A US Air Force spokesperson did not confirm details of the redeployment, but did not deny it took place.
A similar move has additionally reportedly taken place at RAF Lakenheath, also in Suffolk. "We've addressed it by moving people away from the threat," American secretary of state Marco Rubio is said to have replied when asked about the concerns. The development comes hours after President Donald Trump claimed the war in Iran was "militarily over". In an unexpected press conference, he said: "Iran militarily is effectively over. We're just keeping it the status quo."
Trump, however, gave no hint of a drawdown of the thousands of US troops who have been shifted to the waters off of Iran and maintain a naval blockade to stem the flow of Iranian oil into the global market. "We're keeping it going. We have the greatest military blockade ever," Trump added. He claimed Iran has been "decapitated" but said he is still looking to make sure there's a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran's nuclear program is defanged.
It was some of Trump's most definitive comments about moving away from his threat to resume strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections had passed. The President's Republican Party lost both chambers of Congress to Democrats in last week's elections. The elections were shadowed by dissatisfaction among the American electorate over the eight-month-old war, which has led to a surge in fuel prices that's impacted nearly every sector of the global economy.
The Daily Star calls the Charlie security posture at RAF Mildenhall the third-highest level, while Sky News, reporting the same Wall Street Journal account, gives it as the second-highest. The article also reports only that a US Air Force spokesperson did not confirm or deny the move, and drops the spokesperson's explanation that aircraft often rotate between bases.
Makes a false claim
Minor
“the third-highest level”
Why this matters
The article calls the Charlie security posture 'the third-highest level'.
The impression it gives
That the bases sit in the middle of the US threat scale.
The context
Sky News, reporting the same Wall Street Journal account, calls it the second-highest defensive threat level in the US Department of Defence's system. The Daily Star's figure is wrong, though the error understates rather than inflates the alert.
“did not confirm details of the redeployment, but did not deny it took place”
Why this matters
The article reduces the US Air Force spokesperson's response to a non-confirmation and a non-denial, and stresses the non-denial.
The impression it gives
That the spokesperson tacitly confirmed an evacuation over the threat.
The context
The Jerusalem Post reports that the spokesman declined to comment but said aircraft often rotate between bases for multiple reasons. The UK Ministry of Defence gave the same explanation to Sky News. The Daily Star drops that explanation.