Two air bases in eastern England activated their warning sirens on Friday evening after suspected drones were reported nearby, according to local media.
According to The Daily Mail, residents living near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk and RAF Feltwell in neighboring Norfolk reported hearing sirens at around 5:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), with some describing the sound as reminiscent of wartime alerts.
Locals, quoted in the report, said an announcement broadcast over loudspeakers, delivered in an American accent, instructed people to stay inside and take shelter.
Footage by The Daily Mail captured the warning sirens echoing through residential neighborhoods as darkness fell.
The US Air Force confirmed that the alarm at Lakenheath was activated in response to “suspected unauthorized drone” activity, stressing that no personnel, aircraft or facilities were affected.
A US European Command spokesperson separately told Axios that the suspected drone incursion had caused no damage.
“We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, US and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,” the spokesperson said in a statement cited by Axios.
The incident followed the evacuation of at least 12 aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk days earlier over an alleged security threat, according to the report.
They included two Boeing Stratotanker KC-135 refuelling aircraft, with one apparently headed towards Germany and another seen landing at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow.
The US military has also raised the security alert level at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie, the second-highest threat level in the Pentagon’s security system.
The reported evacuation came weeks after Washington withdrew its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in southwest England following an alleged security incident outside the base in September.
British officials attempted to link the alleged security incident at RAF Fairford to Iran.
In a statement at the time, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the allegations and described the move as a “despicable plot” designed to advance an anti-Iran campaign and to evade accountability for Britain’s role in the US-Israeli military aggression against the Iranian nation.
The Ministry held the British government, as well as the planners and perpetrators of this clumsy “false flag” operation, fully responsible for all consequences arising from the fabrication.
The Fairford base in southwest England has been used by US bombers to conduct strikes against Iranian territory. Britain authorized Washington in March to use the base for specific attacks against Iranian missiles.
US bombers and other military aircraft have subsequently been seen operating from the base, which is the only facility on mainland Britain used by the United States for this purpose.
Tehran has maintained that its defensive measures are directed against military aggression and that bases used by the United States to conduct attacks on Iranian territory cannot be considered beyond the scope of legitimate defensive responses.
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