TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / May 10, 2026
A Wall Street Journal report reveals Israel secretly operated a military outpost inside Iraq during the war with Iran.
Key Developments
- The Wall Street Journal reported Israel established a covert military outpost in Iraq’s western desert during the war on Iran.
- Iraqi parliament plans to summon senior security and military officials to investigate the allegations.
- The secret installation reportedly hosted Israeli special forces and logistical support units near the Saudi border.
- Iraqi troops investigating suspicious activity in March reportedly came under attack, leaving one soldier dead.
- New details published by The New Arab suggest Iraqi authorities initially believed the unidentified force was American.
Secret Israeli outpost inside Iraq
Israel established a clandestine military installation inside Iraq before the war on Iran began, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, which cited US officials and sources familiar with the operation.
The report said the base was built “just before the war started with the knowledge of the U.S.” and served as a logistical hub for Israeli military operations targeting Iran.
According to the newspaper, “search-and-rescue teams were positioned there in case Israeli pilots were downed,” while Israeli special forces also operated from the facility.
The installation was reportedly located in Iraq’s western desert and supported Israeli air force operations during the five-week war against Iran.
Iraqi troops came under fire
The covert site was nearly exposed in early March after a shepherd reportedly alerted Iraqi authorities to unusual helicopter activity and armed men operating in the area.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Iraqi soldiers traveling in Humvees toward the location came under heavy attack.
“It appears there was a certain force on the ground before the strike, supported from the air, operating beyond the capabilities of our units,” Iraqi Joint Operations Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Qais al-Muhammadawi told Iraqi state media.
“This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval,” he added.
The attack reportedly killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded two others.
Iraq later submitted a complaint to the United Nations attributing the incident to the United States, though US officials cited by the newspaper denied any involvement.
‘Special missions’
The report said the Iraqi desert outpost enabled Israel to position rescue and special operations teams closer to Iranian territory during the conflict.
Israeli air force special forces trained for operations behind enemy lines were reportedly stationed at the facility.
The newspaper also referenced comments made in early March by outgoing Israeli Air Force commander Tomer Bar, who alluded to covert wartime operations.
“These days, fighters from special units of the air force are conducting special missions which could ignite the imagination,” Bar wrote in a letter to personnel.
Iraqi parliament to summon security officials
New details published by The New Arab on Sunday [see below] indicate Iraq’s parliament will now investigate the allegations surrounding the reported Israeli base.
According to an Iraqi parliamentary official quoted by the outlet, lawmakers will summon the defense and interior ministers alongside senior field commanders to discuss the incident.
“Parliament will summon the defense and interior ministers and security leaders connected to the field situation to discuss the issue,” the official said.
The report stated that the alleged base was located in the Nukhayb desert between Najaf and Anbar provinces near the Saudi border.
An Iraqi security official told The New Arab that Iraqi authorities initially believed the unidentified force operating in the area was American and linked to the international coalition.
The official confirmed that Iraqi forces were attacked on March 4, 2026, after approaching a site hosting what authorities described at the time as an “unknown force.”
Another Iraqi official told the outlet that the area referenced in the report was now “clean,” indicating no forces remained there.
Accusations against Washington
The New Arab report also cited Iraqi MP Raed al-Maliki, who accused Washington of facilitating Israeli operations inside Iraq during the war.
“The United States handed Iraqi airspace to the entity during the war and ordered the radars to be shut down,” al-Maliki said, adding:
“It has now become clear that Iraqi territory was also used to establish a secret intelligence center or base for the entity.”
He described the allegations as “a major breach for which all national intelligence and security bodies must be held accountable.”
The Iraqi government has not yet officially commented on the Wall Street Journal report.
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Iraqi ministers summoned by parliament over secret Israeli military base claims
TNA Staff
The New Arab / May 10, 2026
Iraqi parliament will summon ministers after claims Israel operated a secret military base in Iraq during the war on Iran.
Iraq’s parliament will summon senior security officials to investigate claims that Israel operated a secret military base in the country during the recent war on Iran, according to an Iraqi official who spoke to The New Arab.
According to the official, parliament will summon the defence and interior ministers, alongside security commanders involved in field operations, after the Wall Street Journal claimed Israel had established a covert military site in Iraq’s western desert near the Saudi border.
The report alleged the base, located in the Nukhayb desert between Najaf and Anbar provinces, was used to support Israeli military operations during the US-Israeli war on Iran and hosted Israeli special forces and search-and-rescue units.
“Parliament will summon the defence and interior ministers and security leaders connected to the field situation to discuss the issue,” an Iraqi official within parliament’s leadership told The New Arab.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel established the facility with US knowledge and used it as a logistical support hub for the Israeli air force. The newspaper also alleged Israeli aircraft carried out strikes against Iraqi forces that approached the site in March.
Iraqi authorities had allegedly previously believed the unidentified force operating in the area was American and functioning under the umbrella of the international coalition.
The Iraqi official said that the Joint Operations Command had confirmed an attack took place on 4 March 2026 against an Iraqi army force in the Nukhayb desert near the Saudi border after it approached a site hosting an “unknown force”.
The official said initial assessments suggested the force was American and linked the incident to a broader series of attacks targeting the Popular Mobilisation Forces, Iraqi army units and border guards.
Another Iraqi security official told The New Arab that the government would issue clarifications later on Sunday, but stressed that the site mentioned in the report was now “clean”, indicating no forces remained there.
The Wall Street Journal said the secret base nearly came to light after a shepherd reportedly alerted Iraqi authorities to suspicious military activity, including helicopter landings and armed men in the area. Iraqi forces dispatched to investigate allegedly came under heavy fire and withdrew.
At the time, Baghdad condemned the attack, which killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded two others, without publicly identifying the perpetrators.
According to an Iraqi military statement issued after the incident, a force from Karbala Operations Command came under “aerial bombardment and gunfire” while carrying out a search mission in the desert area linking Karbala and Najaf provinces.
The statement said one soldier was killed and two others injured. Iraqi authorities later announced the formation of a high-level investigative committee into the incident.
Iraqi MP Raed al-Maliki accused Washington of enabling Israeli operations inside Iraq.
“The United States handed Iraqi airspace to the entity [Israel] during the war and ordered the radars to be shut down,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“It has now become clear that Iraqi territory was also used to establish a secret intelligence centre or base for the entity.”
He described the allegations as “a major breach for which all national intelligence and security bodies must be held accountable”.
The Iraqi government has yet to officially comment on the Wall Street Journal report.
