Iraqi security official denies reports of secret Israeli base in Iraq’s desert

A senior Iraqi security official denied Sunday media reports claiming Israel had established a secret military base in Iraq’s desert to support airstrikes against Iran.

The official, speaking to Anadolu on condition of anonymity, said the reports about Israel currently operating a secret military site in Iraq’s western desert are “false.”

Clarifying an incident cited in recent media reports, the official said Iraqi forces had confronted a “mysterious” airborne operation in March in the desert area of al-Nukhaib in central Iraq, and that the situation “was handled at the time.”

On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that Israel had established a secret military site in Iraq’s desert to support attacks against Iran.

The newspaper claimed Israeli special forces were deployed at the site, which allegedly served as a logistics hub for the Israeli air force.

It also alleged the site had been established with US knowledge before Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

The base nearly came to light in early March after Iraqi state media reported that a shepherd had observed suspicious military activity in the area, including helicopter movements, prompting Iraqi troops to investigate.

According to the report, Israel responded with airstrikes that prevented Iraqi forces from reaching the site.

Israel’s military declined to comment on the report.

There has been no official comment from Iraq, Israel, or the US regarding the report.

However, on March 5, Iraqi Joint Operations Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi said in televised remarks that authorities had received information from a shepherd about the presence of an unidentified armed force in the desert area near Najaf and Karbala in southern Iraq.

He said Iraqi forces were dispatched in Humvee vehicles but came under heavy aerial fire about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the reported location, killing one soldier, wounding two others, and damaging two vehicles.

Reinforcements later searched the area but found nothing, suggesting that “a certain force had been on the ground and received air support,” Muhammadawi added.

Later in March, Iraq submitted a complaint to the US accusing foreign forces of involvement in the attack and holding Washington responsible.

Regional tensions have sharply escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering Iranian retaliation against Israel and American allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, though negotiations in Islamabad failed to produce a permanent agreement. US President Donald Trump later announced an extension of the truce without setting a deadline.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul