by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – A clandestine Israeli military outpost deep inside Iraq’s western desert reportedly played a critical role in Israel’s recent five-week air campaign against Iran, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive citing U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the operation.
The report reveals that Israel quietly established the temporary forward-operating base shortly before the outbreak of hostilities with Iran, allegedly with the knowledge of the United States. The secret installation reportedly housed Israeli special forces personnel, search-and-rescue teams, and logistical support units for the Israeli Air Force as it conducted thousands of strikes against Iranian military and strategic targets roughly 1,000 miles away.
The Shepherd Who Almost Unraveled It
According to the report, the base nearly became exposed in early March after a local shepherd alerted Iraqi authorities about suspicious helicopter activity in the desert. Iraqi military units were dispatched to investigate the area, but Israeli forces allegedly responded with airstrikes to prevent the discovery of the installation.
Iraqi officials said one soldier was killed and two others wounded during the confrontation.
“This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval,” Iraqi Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, said at the time in comments carried by Iraqi state media.
Iraq later filed a complaint with the United Nations blaming foreign forces and initially attributing the attack to the United States. However, according to the Wall Street Journal report, the U.S. was not involved in the strike itself.
Israel’s military declined to comment publicly on the allegations.
Special Forces and Rescue Missions
The Iraqi desert installation reportedly served several strategic purposes beyond logistics. Search-and-rescue teams were stationed there in the event Israeli pilots were shot down over Iranian territory. One source told the Journal that when a U.S. F-15 fighter jet was downed near Isfahan earlier in the conflict, Israel offered assistance, although American forces ultimately handled the rescue operation independently.
Israeli air force special operations units were also reportedly deployed at the site. These elite forces are trained for deep operations behind enemy lines and emergency extraction missions.
Military analysts noted that such temporary operational bases are common in modern warfare.
Michael Knights, head of research at Horizon Engage, told the Journal that “before operations you reconnoiter and set up these kinds of locations.” He added that Iraq’s vast western desert has historically been used for covert military operations, including by U.S. Special Forces during both Gulf Wars.
Regional Tensions Continue
The revelations are likely to intensify tensions throughout the region, particularly inside Iraq, where competing Iranian-backed militias, Iraqi security forces, U.S. troops, and covert foreign operations have increasingly collided.
The report also sheds new light on the extraordinary lengths Israel reportedly undertook during its campaign against Iran, underscoring both the operational reach of the Israeli military and the growing shadow war unfolding across the Middle East.
Israeli officials have hinted in recent months at covert activities tied to the conflict. In early March, then-Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar praised special operations personnel for conducting “special missions which could ignite the imagination.”
The emerging details suggest those missions extended far beyond Israel’s borders and into some of the most remote areas of Iraq.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Ukrainian authorities said Thursday at least 16 people were killed and about 40 injured in massive overnight Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and the wider region, while neighboring countries were placed on high alert amid reports of drones entering or approaching their territory.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar is accelerating efforts to dismantle the political and economic system built during Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, targeting alleged corruption and cronyism while facing warnings that restoring the rule of law should not lead to another concentration of power.
Pakistani Christians have expressed concern after Pakistan’s Supreme Court released details of its decision to acquit the last three men sentenced to death over the 2014 mob killing of a Christian couple who were beaten and burned alive in a brick kiln following blasphemy allegations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a blunt warning to Turkey on Wednesday after Israel struck a Syrian military airbase that Jerusalem says Ankara was preparing to use for an expanded military presence in Syria.
Democratic socialist Angie Nixon scored a surprise victory Tuesday in Florida’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating heavily funded establishment favorite Alex Vindman and adding to a growing series of socialist and far-left victories reshaping Democratic politics across the country.
The United States government passed a sobering milestone Wednesday as the national debt topped $40 trillion, up from $39 trillion only five months ago.
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to deploy approximately 1,000 federal election monitors across the country for November’s midterm elections, marking what officials say will be a record-sized monitoring operation.