Israeli forces allegedly operated at least two covert military bases in Iraq’s western desert, possibly to support operations against Iran during the June 2025 conflict and the continuing tensions with Tehran, according to a report by the New York Times.
The report said one of the hidden bases was accidentally uncovered by an Iraqi shepherd who came across what appeared to be a secret Israeli military site in the desert. His family later claimed the discovery may have led to his death.
According to the newspaper, the shepherd informed Iraq’s regional military command after seeing “soldiers, helicopters and tents clustered around a landing strip”. The report backed an earlier Wall Street Journal claim about the existence of an Israeli outpost inside Iraq.
After receiving the report, the Iraqi army reportedly dispatched a reconnaissance unit to investigate. The force came under attack, leaving one soldier dead, two injured and two military vehicles destroyed before the troops withdrew.
Publicly, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command stated that “foreign” forces had attacked Iraqi soldiers and said complaints were filed with the United Nations Security Council.
Privately, however, Iraq’s armed forces chief of staff, General Abdul-Amir Yarallah, reportedly contacted US military officials. According to the NYT, citing an Iraqi general, the Americans confirmed that the forces involved were not American, leading Iraqi officials to conclude they were Israeli.
The Iraqi government has not officially acknowledged the existence of the alleged Israeli bases, a sensitive issue given that Iraq has no diplomatic ties with Israel and public sentiment in the country strongly opposes Israel.
The report stated that the two Israeli facilities had operated intermittently for more than a year in Iraq’s western desert. Regional security officials told the newspaper that the discovered base existed before the current escalation and was also used during the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025.
One official said Israeli forces began preparing the makeshift base in late 2024 to reduce flight distances for aircraft travelling towards Iran.
The NYT further reported that the United States had been aware of the bases “since June 2025 or possibly earlier”, raising questions over whether Washington withheld information from Baghdad despite being a key Iraqi ally.
The report also claimed that during both the 2025 conflict and the ongoing tensions, the US pressured Iraq to shut down its radar systems to safeguard American aircraft. Iraqi security officials told the newspaper that this left Baghdad increasingly dependent on US forces for detecting potential threats.
