Israel said to have built secret base in Iraqi desert to support Iran air campaign

According to Wall Street Journal, Israeli troops launched airstrikes against Iraqi forces who nearly discovered the airbase in early March; at the time, Iraq blamed US for the strikes

Israel reportedly set up a secret military base in the Iraqi desert in February in order to support its aerial campaign against Iran.

According to a Saturday report in the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials and other sources, Israel built the base shortly before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran started on February 28, to serve as a hub for logistics to support the Israeli Air Force.

It also housed special forces troops and search-and-rescue teams poised to act if any Israeli pilots were downed, the report said. To protect the outpost, Israeli troops even launched airstrikes against Iraqi forces who nearly discovered it in early March, according to the newspaper.

The strikes killed one Iraqi soldier, Baghdad said at the time, after Iraqi media reported that a local shepherd witnessed “unusual military activity,” including helicopters and gunfire in a remote area. According to the Journal, the Israeli strikes succeeded in deterring Iraqi forces from any further investigation.

The IDF declined to comment on the report.

Iraq, which initially blamed the March attack on the US, said at the time: “This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval.”

The US was not involved in the operation, sources told the American news outlet.

“It appears there was a certain force on the ground before the strike,
supported from the air, operating beyond the capabilities of our units,” a top Iraqi military official said at the time.

The report pointed to a statement made in March by then-Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, when he said that special forces had been conducting “extraordinary” operations during the conflict with Iran.

“The troops of the air force’s special units are currently carrying out extraordinary missions that can spark one’s imagination,” Bar said, without elaborating further.

According to an expert speaking to the WSJ, the western desert of Iraq, where the reported base was located, is a perfect spot for a clandestine military outpost, given its sparse population and vast size.

“It’s normal that before operations you reconnoiter and set up these kinds of locations,” Michael Knights, the head of the Horizon Engage intelligence firm, told the newspaper.

Iraq, which lies in a key location between Jordan and Iran, was dragged into the Iran war amid strikes in its territory from both sides, as it has long walked a tightrope between its relationship to both Washington and Tehran.

The US has long demanded that Baghdad disarm powerful Iran-backed groups, which the US designates as terrorist organizations and which hold significant sway inside Iraq.

During the war, these groups targeted American interests in Iraq, including the US embassy in Baghdad, its diplomatic and logistics facility at the capital’s airport, and oil fields operated by foreign companies.

US forces repeatedly struck their positions and bases in response, killing dozens of fighters.

Agencies contributed to this report.