Foreign media reveals Israeli military has built secret military bases in Iraq

Reference News Network reported on May 13 According to a report from the Wall Street Journal website on May 9, Israel has built a secret base in Iraq for the war against Iran. The report is as follows:

Informed sources, including U.S. officials, say that Israel has established a secret military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air operations against Iran and launched airstrikes against the Iraqi military, which nearly discovered it in the early stages of the war.

These sources say that Israel constructed this facility before the war began, housing special forces and serving as a logistics center for the Israeli Air Force, and that the U.S. is aware of this.

Israel has also stationed a search and rescue team here in case Israeli pilots are shot down, although this situation has not occurred. An informed source said that after an American F-15 fighter jet was shot down near Isfahan, Iran, Israel proactively offered assistance, but U.S. forces managed to rescue the two pilots themselves. Israel did conduct airstrikes to support this operation.

In early March, this Israeli base was nearly discovered. According to Iraqi state media, a local shepherd reported unusual military activity in the area, including helicopter flights, prompting the Iraqi military to dispatch troops to investigate. An informed source said that Israel used airstrikes to prevent them.

The Israeli military declined to comment on this matter. At the time, the Iraqi government condemned the attack, which resulted in the death of an Iraqi soldier.

Lieutenant General Khais Muhammadawi, deputy commander of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, told Iraqi state media in early March: “This reckless action was carried out without coordination and approval.”

In a complaint submitted to the United Nations later in March, Iraq claimed that the attack involved foreign troops and airstrikes, blaming it on U.S. forces. According to informed sources, the U.S. was not involved in this attack.

Iraqi and Arab media extensively reported on this conflict and speculated about the identities of the combatants.

After the shepherd initially reported the incident, Iraqi soldiers set out in military vehicles, driving to the scene at dawn. Muhammadawi stated that this group of soldiers came under heavy attack, resulting in one death and two injuries.

Iraqi authorities then dispatched two units from the counter-terrorism forces to join the search of the area, finding evidence that military presence had existed there.

The details of the base, as well as the risks Israel took to establish and protect it, help to understand how Israel managed to conduct airstrikes against enemies located 1,000 miles (approximately 1,610 kilometers) away.

The base in Iraq allows Israel to get closer to the battlefield. Informed sources say that Israel has deployed search and rescue teams there to respond more quickly when emergency rescue missions are needed. According to one informed source, Israeli Air Force special forces trained to conduct assault operations on enemy territory are also stationed at this base.

Michael Nitz, head of research at the strategic consulting firm Horizon Interactive, said: “It is normal to scout and establish such outposts before operations.”

Nitz noted that the vast and sparsely populated desert region in western Iraq is an ideal location for setting up temporary outposts.

Nitz stated that people living in the Iraqi desert have witnessed various military activities over the years, and they have long learned to keep their distance from them.

Israeli officials have previously alluded to secret operations during the war. In early March, then Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar wrote to his subordinates, stating in the letter: “Recently, the air force special forces personnel have been carrying out special missions that are likely to provoke much speculation from the outside.” (Translated by Liu Xiaoyan)