A Secret Israeli Base in the Iraqi Desert: A Security Breach and the Strategy of Silence

A detailed report by the Wall Street Journal has revealed sensational details regarding the establishment of a secret Israeli military base in the heart of the Iraqi desert last February, aimed at bolstering its aerial campaign against Iran. Located in a dry lake bed approximately 180 kilometers southwest of Karbala and Najaf, the base was far more than a mere transit point. It served as a fully integrated logistical hub, housing elite special forces and search-and-rescue teams prepared for immediate intervention should any Israeli aircraft be downed. The report indicates that Israel employed lethal force to maintain the site’s secrecy, launching airstrikes in early March against Iraqi patrols that strayed near the base, resulting in the death (martyrdom) of an Iraqi soldier—an attack Baghdad initially attributed to the United States before the full details emerged.

These findings are corroborated by satellite imagery analyzed by OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) experts, which revealed a 1.6-kilometer temporary runway constructed with rapid precision prior to the direct confrontation with Iran. According to Iraqi military officials, the ground forces operating there possessed technical and operational capabilities far exceeding those of local units, allowing them to operate undetected behind surveillance lines for a significant duration. Despite the Israeli military’s official silence, statements from Air Force Commander Tomer Bar regarding "imagination-defying" missions carried out by special units align directly with the logistics of this strategic base, which exploited the rugged terrain and vast, uninhabited expanses of western Iraq.

These movements aim to impose a new reality known as "The Second ISIS" (The American State in Iraq and Sham)—the very project that Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis had warned against and sounded the alarm over. By seizing control of eastern Syria and western Iraq, these powers seek to create a permanent flashpoint of "systemic chaos" to destabilize the region and reshuffle its geopolitical cards, mirroring how ISIS was previously utilized as a tool to dismantle geography and destroy nations from within.

As is unfortunately expected, no genuine reaction is anticipated from Iraqi politicians of various stripes; they gamble on "collective amnesia" and the accumulation of crises to bury these facts. Suppressing these files only paves the way for a recurrence of such tragedies and further erosions of sovereignty. Therefore, the only way forward lies in strengthening public awareness and enlightening the people. Social vigilance is the sole guarantee to break the wall of political silence and safeguard national security.