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Israel has built a military base that operates covertly in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign in preparation for a US-Israeli war against Iran, US media reports say.
On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel built the installation, which houses special forces and served as a center for its military forces, with the knowledge of the United States before the Iran war. The army also mobilized a large number of search and rescue teams to assist the downed Israeli pilots.
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The report added that the Israeli military had launched airstrikes from the site against Iraqi forces who had only recently captured it in early March.
What is known so far about these foundations, and how important are they?
Here’s what we know:
How was Israel’s base in Iraq discovered?
Open Source researchers have identified a suspected location near the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, from satellite images, the WSJ reported.
On Thursday, Lieutenant-General Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy chief of joint operations in Iraq, announced that Baghdad had received reports of “individuals or groups” in the desert of Najaf, near Karbala, a city located 100km (62 miles) southwest of the capital, the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
“A force of three teams from the Karbala Operations Command was sent to investigate. The army was hit by heavy aerial fire, which resulted in the death of one soldier and the wounding of two others,” he said.
He added that, later, the Iraqi army was “reinforced by two anti-terrorist teams that searched the area but found nothing”.
The WSJ report also cited comments made in March by former Israeli army chief, Major-General Tomer Bar, who said the special forces had performed “extraordinarily” during the war against Iran. But Bar did not mention the place.
Michael Knights, head of intelligence firm Horizon Engage, told the WSJ that Iraq’s western desert, where the alleged site is located, is an ideal location for a secret army because of its small size and size.
“It is unusual that before you start work you also know and establish this place,” he said.
Reporting from Baghdad this week, Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said remote areas in the area have been used for covert warfare, and a secret Israeli military base was nearly revealed in March by a local pastor who reported helicopters in the area.
He said: “The shepherd was killed when his car was hit by Israelis.”
What did Iraq say?
There have been very conflicting reports about what is believed to be going on in Israel from Iraq.
On Thursday last week, before the revelations about the secret Israeli sites appeared, al-Muhammadawi said “there is no agreement or agreement for any force to exist in this place”.
But at the end of March, the WSJ revealed, Baghdad presented the suspected US military demonstrations and called any secret operation a violation of Iraqi freedom.
US officials told the WSJ over the weekend that Washington was not involved in such activities.
Speaking to the Turkish news agency Anadolu on Sunday, following US reports the previous day, the Iraqi security chief also denied that Israel had established a secret military base in the desert.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said reports of hidden Israeli military bases inside Iraq were “false”.
On Monday, in an X statement, the Iraqi army reiterated that there are no illegal foreign soldiers operating in their territory and that the information being circulated was incorrect.
But on Monday, a legislator from the Badr Organization he said Iraq’s Shafaq reports that a “US-Israeli” military camp is located in western Iraq.
An unnamed Iraqi official in the office of outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani he said The New Arab newspaper that the secret military operation was carried out “with American support and under American cover”.
“Iraq was fooled by America, and this cannot be considered superior to Israel’s army or military progress,” the official said.
On Tuesday, the commander of the Iraqi operation in Karbala told Al Jazeera that a group of Israeli soldiers was found in the Najaf desert in March, but did not stay in the area for more than 48 hours.
Iraq has been the focus of attention between the US and Iran as regional tensions escalate, deepening the economic crisis. The discovery of a secret military base has widened Baghdad’s tightrope walk, experts say.
Washington has called for Iraq to do more to eliminate the powerful Iranian-backed militias operating in its territory and, in March, it struck the Shia militia, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) or Hashd al-Shaabi, following the attacks on the US diplomatic and logistics center at Baghdad airport.
“The PMF units were targeted by airstrikes and airstrikes, with three strikes in different areas,” a report from the emergency room said, adding that there were no casualties because the area was abandoned.
The PMF is part of the Iraqi army and includes some pro-Iranian groups. Pro-Iranian militias have claimed responsibility for the protests in Iraq and across the region.
An unnamed official who spoke to The New Arab was quoted as saying that Iraqi officials initially described the attack as part of a US-led operation targeting PMF forces in the country.
Iraq seems to be caught in a difficult situation between the US, Israel and Iran.
Al Jazeera’s Abdelwahed said this week that, for years, Iraq has tried to distance itself from international conflicts.
“But such reports show that the territory of Iraq can be used as a base for covert military operations, revealing major gaps in governance and regional security at a critical time in the Middle East,” he said, describing the covert military operation in Iraq.
How has Iran responded?
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told local media on Monday that Tehran “does not rule out any possibility of Israeli sovereignty and this is a very important issue and will be addressed by the Iraqi government”.
“It is obvious, and the events of Israel’s behavior in the region show that they do not respect any of the red line boundaries in order to strike the region to create disharmony in the region and strike the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
What has Israel said?
So far, the Israeli army has not responded to reports that it has a hideout in the Iraqi desert.
However, Israel’s Kan radio has previously reported that the presence of the Israeli army in the Iraqi desert is known to Arab parties.
Observers say the latest revelations raise further questions about whether Iraq has become a covert military base in the US-Israel war against Iran.
