According to The Wall Street Journal, Israel established a secret military base in the Iraqi desert to support air operations against Iran. The report claimed that airstrikes were carried out against Iraqi forces to prevent the base from being discovered.
According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter, including U.S. officials, Israel established a secret military forward operating base in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran and carried out airstrikes against Iraqi forces that were close to discovering the facility.
According to the newspaper, Israel built the facility with the knowledge of the United States shortly before the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The base was used as a logistics hub for the Israeli Air Force while also hosting special forces units. It also included search-and-rescue teams deployed to assist downed Israeli pilots.
Reuters could not independently verify these claims. Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
According to the report, the base was nearly exposed in early March after Iraqi state media said a local shepherd had reported unusual military activity in the area, including helicopter movements.
Iraqi forces were then dispatched to investigate the area, but Israeli forces reportedly carried out airstrikes to keep them away and prevent the base from being identified.
WSJ also cited a complaint submitted to the United Nations later in March. In the complaint, Iraq stated that the attack involved foreign forces and airstrikes, attributing responsibility to the United States. However, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by WSJ, the U.S. was not involved in the attack.
