A shepherd nearly uncovered a secret Israeli military base in the Iraqi desert in March.
The base was built for the Israeli-US attack on Iran in late February, and served as a “logistical hub” for its air force, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Special forces were stationed at the base, from which Israel would have launched search and rescue missions in case of downed fighter jets. However, no Israeli aircraft was shot down during the war.
The WSJ, citing US officials, said Washington was aware of the secret base, located in the vast Iraqi desert.
It was nearly uncovered in March, when a shepherd reported “unusual military” activity, including helicopter flights, to the Iraqi authorities.
The Iraqi military sent troops in Humvees to investigate, but Israel launched air strikes to prevent them from discovering the base, killing one soldier and wounding two others.
‘Reckless operation’
Lt Gen Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, told Iraqi media in March: “It appears there was a certain force on the ground before the strike, supported from the air, operating beyond the capabilities of our units.
“This reckless operation was carried out without co-ordination or approval.”
Iraq complained to the UN about the strike on its troops, blaming the US. Washington denied responsibility.
The WSJ report did not say where in the Iraqi desert the base was located, but the military correspondent for Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, said satellite images suggested that it was 110 miles west of the city of Najaf.
Kan said the imagery showed an improvised airstrip, with trenches indicating an area where soldiers were concentrated.
According to Kan’s investigation, the runway was built in February before the American-Israeli attack on Iran.
Israel has operated deep behind enemy lines for decades. In 1981, its fighter jets bombed the French-built Osirak nuclear reactor south of Baghdad.
In 2007, they bombed the al-Kubar facility near Deir ez-Zor, which Israel suspected was a secret nuclear site.
And in 2024, some 120 Israeli special forces took part in a ground operation in Syria, destroying an underground Iranian missile manufacturing plant.
The missiles were intended for use by the Assad regime and Hezbollah but were blown up in September that year, when the Syrian dictator was still ruling Syria.
