TheWall Street Journal reported Saturday that Israel had built a clandestine military outpost in Iraq’s western desert prior to the ongoing US–Israeli offensive against Iran. Without an official statement, questions remain about the group responsible for the outpost—and what the Iraqi government may have known about it.
According to the report, which cited individuals familiar with the matter, including US officials, the outpost was constructed shortly before the US and Israel launched the first attack of the war on Iran at the end of February. The base reportedly served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force, hosting special forces units and search-and-rescue teams equipped to carry out recovery missions for downed aerial units.
Iraq’s western region is sparsely populated and its inhabitants have become accustomed to the presence of military forces and armed groups, the report stated. The outpost was nearly discovered in early March after an Iraqi shepherd noticed helicopter flights and other activity, which raised suspicions of military activity, reporting them to local authorities.
When Iraqi forces dispatched units to investigate the area, they came under intense fire and airstrikes, which, the report stated, prevented them from reaching the site of the outpost.
One Iraqi soldier was killed and two were injured in this incident. Lieutenant General Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, condemned what he described as an unauthorized military operation conducted without coordination with Baghdad.
Iraqi authorities later filed a complaint with the United Nations, claiming that the attack involved foreign forces, and blamed the US. The Wall Street Journal cited a source who denied American participation.
The report added that the secret base helped Israel reduce operational distance during its five-week offensive on Iran carried out alongside their American allies.
Military analysts cited by the Wall Street Journal noted that temporary operating bases are commonly established in adversary territory before major military campaigns, especially in remote desert areas such as western Iraq, which has historically been used by US and allied special operations forces.
Israel’s military declined to comment on the allegations. However, the outgoing commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, had previously alluded to covert missions carried out by special units inside Iran during the conflict, describing operations that “could ignite the imagination.”
The revelations are likely to intensify debate in Iraq over foreign military activity on Iraqi territory and raise further questions about regional security arrangements during the Israel–Iran confrontation.
However, the Wall Street Journal report leaves several questions unanswered.
Al Manassa has been unable to independently verify the claims through satellite imagery or other open-source methods, as the original report relies on anonymous sources. In the absence of official statements from either Washington or Tel Aviv, it also remains unclear who was directly responsible for operating the alleged base, if it indeed existed as described.
Questions also remain about the Iraqi government’s knowledge of the reported operation. If Iraqi authorities had prior knowledge of Israeli military activity in the country’s western desert, they would face strong political incentives to deny such information—whether to avoid domestic backlash over the presence of Israeli forces on Iraqi soil or to deflect criticism over the attacks on Iraqi units attempting to investigate the area.
The Wall Street Journal report nevertheless raises questions about foreign military activity on Iraqi soil and its implications in the ongoing war on Iran.
