Report: Israel Built 2 Covert Bases in Iraq Before Iran War

Israel constructed two secret military outposts in Iraq’s western desert ahead of the US-Israel war against Iran, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing Iraqi officials and a lawmaker.

The newspaper said Iraqi officials identified two covert Israeli-operated bases in the western desert. One of the makeshift sites had been under preparation since late 2024, according to a regional official cited by the report.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that one base was established shortly before the conflict began and operated with US knowledge. It housed Israeli special forces, served as a logistical hub for air operations, and included search-and-rescue capabilities for downed pilots, the report said.

Israeli forces launched attacks from the base in early March against Iraqi units that approached the site, according to the newspaper. Open-source analysts used satellite imagery to identify the suspected location near Iraq’s border with Saudi Arabia.

The reports add to months of conflicting accounts about alleged Israeli activity inside Iraq. On Thursday, Lieutenant-General Qais al-Muhammadawi, Iraq’s deputy commander of joint operations, said authorities received reports of “individuals or movement” in the Najaf desert near Karbala, about 100 km southwest of Baghdad, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported.

The Wall Street Journal also cited comments from March by Israel’s former air force chief, Major-General Tomer Bar, who said Israeli special forces conducted “extraordinary” operations during the conflict with Iran without specifying locations.

Iraqi officials publicly denied authorizing any foreign military presence. “There is no agreement or consent for any force to be present in this location,” al-Muhammadawi said last week before details of the alleged Israeli outpost emerged.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Baghdad privately lodged a protest with Washington in late March over suspected covert military activity, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

US officials quoted by the newspaper said Washington was not involved. On Sunday, a senior Iraqi security official again denied the reports of an Israeli base in the desert, speaking to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.

On Tuesday, the commander of Iraq’s Karbala operations told Al Jazeera that an Israeli military group was detected in the Najaf desert in March but remained less than 48 hours.

The reports come as Iraq faces growing pressure amid escalating tensions among the US, Israel, and Iran.

Washington has repeatedly urged Baghdad to curb the influence of Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. In March, US forces struck the Popular Mobilization Forces after attacks on a US diplomatic and logistics facility near Baghdad airport.

Iran has also raised concerns. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Tehran would raise the issue with Iraqi authorities, accusing Israel of seeking to destabilize the region.

“Israel’s behaviour in the region shows that they do not respect any limits or red lines,” Baghaei said.