Israel Quietly Built a Desert Base in Iraq to Back Its Iran Air Campaign

by | May 10, 2026 | News

person in black and green camouflage jacket holding black rifle

Israel secretly constructed a military outpost in Iraq’s western desert in February to support its aerial campaign against Iran, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing U.S. officials.

The base served as a logistics hub for the Israeli Air Force and housed special forces and search-and-rescue teams ready to respond if pilots were downed. When Iraqi forces came close to discovering the site in early March, Israel launched airstrikes to drive them back — killing one Iraqi soldier. Iraq initially blamed the U.S. for that strike; Washington denied involvement.

The IDF declined to comment. Military experts noted that Iraq’s remote western desert is ideal for clandestine operations given its sparse population.

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