Israel built second secret military base in Iraqi desert, officials say - report

Report: Israel Operated Covert Bases in Iraq's Western Desert

A New York Times investigation has revealed that Israeli forces operated two covert military outposts in Iraq's western desert, allegedly supporting military actions against Iran. The report, published Sunday, cites unnamed Iraqi officials and a lawmaker, and follows an earlier Wall Street Journal report on a single base.

According to the New York Times, one of the bases was discovered accidentally by a Bedouin shepherd, Awad al-Shammari, who stumbled upon the site in early March. His family believes the discovery cost him his life; the newspaper reports he contacted Iraq's regional military command to report what he had seen—soldiers, helicopters, and tents clustered around a landing strip. He was later killed when a helicopter opened fire on his truck. The Iraqi military sent a reconnaissance force in response, which came under attack; one soldier was killed, two were wounded, and two vehicles were bombed.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Israel built a base in a remote part of the Iraqi desert to support an airstrike in the ongoing war with Iran. That base housed special forces from the Air Force, served as a logistics facility, and included search-and-rescue capabilities for downed pilots. The Journal also reported that the IDF nearly launched strikes against Iraqi troops who had almost discovered the base.

Regional security officials told the New York Times that the second base predates the current conflict and was used during the 12-day war in June 2025. The Times claims Israel began preparing to build this site in late 2024, citing a regional official. The report also states Washington has known about at least one of the bases since June 2025, possibly earlier.

Iraq's government has not officially recognized nor commented on the outposts' existence. In public, Iraq's Joint Operations Command announced that "foreign" forces had attacked their soldiers and said it had raised complaints at the UN Security Council. In private, the chief of staff of Iraq's armed forces, Gen Abdul-Amir Yarallah, called US military counterparts. According to an Iraqi general quoted in the Times, the US "confirmed the force is not an American force, so we understood it was Israeli."

A lawmaker quoted in the Times described the situation as "a blatant disregard for Iraqi sovereignty." Iraq has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and its population sees Israel as an enemy.

An Iraqi official and lawmaker confirmed the existence of a second base to the New York Times, though they did not disclose a location other than that it is also in a western desert region. The Israeli military declined to comment to the Times on both the existence of the bases and the killing of Mr. al-Shammari.

The Wall Street Journal reported that a US source said American forces were not involved in the incident. Open-source analysts cited by the Journal identified the suspected location using satellite imagery near Iraq's border with Saudi Arabia.

The reports have added to months of conflicting accounts over alleged Israeli activity inside Iraq. On Thursday, Lieutenant-General Qais al-Muhammadawi, Iraq's deputy commander of joint operations, said authorities had received reports of "individuals or movement" in the Najaf desert near Karbala, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.