Israel built two covert bases in Iraq to aid in its wars with Iran, and an Iraqi soldier and a civilian were killed in order to protect the secret military installations, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had built one base in Iraq’s western desert for use in the US-Israeli war with Iran that began in late February. Shortly afterward, what appeared to be a makeshift airstrip in a dry lakebed, some 180 kilometers (112 miles) southwest of the city of Karbala, was located by open-source intelligence analysts in satellite imagery taken just days before the war.
But Iraqi officials told the Times that Israel had maintained another base there as well, which was used during the June 2025 war with Iran as well as this year’s conflict.
Israel began building that base in late 2024, according to a regional official. The Times report said the US knew of that base, and that it is no longer operational.
According to the reports, Israel built the bases to cut down on flight time for strikes in Iran, provide medical treatment, and aid in logistics and other forms of support for the Israeli Air Force. They also housed special forces troops and search-and-rescue teams who were poised to act if any Israeli pilots were downed.
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The IDF has not commented on either report. Iraq and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.
Smoke rises to the sky at an air base following attacks early morning, in Harir, Iraq, March 12, 2026. (AP/Leo Correa)
Local Bedouins in Iraq’s sparsely populated western desert had contacted local military officials with reports of suspicious activity for weeks, according to the Times. But the Iraqi army chose to try to observe from a distance and ask the US for information.
Washington was not forthcoming, even though it is an Iraqi ally. The US also persuaded Iraq to turn off its radars in order to protect US aircraft, the Times said.
Then, on March 3, Awad al-Shammari, a Bedouin shepherd driving to the nearest town to pick up groceries, was killed by an Israeli helicopter after he stumbled on the base, a cousin told the newspaper. Al-Shammari had reportedly managed to report the base to Iraqi authorities. His family later found his body by speaking to people who had witnessed him being killed.
The Iraqis sent a reconnaissance mission, but retreated after one soldier was killed and two were wounded by what was likely Israeli fire.
Senior officials told the Times that Baghdad downplayed the incident, though it complained to the UN Security Council and military leaders briefed the country’s parliament on the incidents.
“It shows a blatant disregard for Iraqi sovereignty, its government and its forces, as well as for the dignity of the Iraqi people,” Waad al-Kadu, an Iraqi lawmaker, told the Times.
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