Israel Built a Secret Base in the Iraqi Desert to Support Its Air Campaign Against Iran
Israel secretly built a military outpost in Iraq’s western desert earlier this year to support its air campaign against Iran, according to a report published Saturday by The Wall Street Journal.
The report, citing U.S. officials, said the base was established shortly before Israel and the U.S. launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 as part of Operation Roaring Lion. The report said U.S. officials were aware of the operation.
Following the release of the WSJ report, open-source intelligence analysts identified what appeared to be a makeshift airstrip carved into a dry lakebed about 180 kilometers southwest of Karbala in satellite imagery captured days before the war with Iran began. Analysts said the roughly 1.6-kilometer airstrip may have become unusable by mid-March due to rainfall in the area.
According to WSJ, the outpost reportedly served as a logistics hub for the Israeli Air Force and housed special operations and search-and-rescue teams prepared to respond if Israeli pilots were shot down over hostile territory.
The Israeli outpost was nearly exposed after a shepherd reported low-flying helicopters in the area.
Iraqi forces later dispatched troops to investigate the site, but the unit was struck in an Israeli airstrike that killed one soldier and wounded two others.
“This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval. It appears that a force on the ground, supported from the air, was operating beyond the capabilities of our units,” said Lieutenant General Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command.
Later in March, Iraq filed a complaint with the United Nations alleging that the attack involved foreign forces and airstrikes, blaming the U.S. However, a source familiar with the matter told the publication that the U.S. was not involved in the attack.
Iraq, positioned between Jordan and Iran, was drawn deeper into the Middle East conflict as Iran-aligned forces and the U.S.-Israel alliance carried out strikes on the territory.
During the war, Iran-backed militias in Iraq launched attacks on U.S. diplomatic and military facilities, including the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and installations near Baghdad International Airport.
The U.S. responded with repeated strikes on militia positions, killing dozens of fighters.
