Unbelievable/ Here's how a shepherd discovered Israel's secret base in Iraq

2026-05-11 22:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Unbelievable/ Here's how a shepherd discovered Israel's secret base in

Israel built a secret military facility in the Iraqi desert to support its military operation against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops that nearly discovered it early in the war, according to people familiar with the matter, including U.S. officials.

Israel built the structure, which housed special forces and served as a logistics center for the air force, shortly before the start of the war and with the knowledge of the US, the sources said.

Search and rescue teams were stationed there in case Israeli planes were shot down. When a US F-15 fighter jet crashed near Isfahan, Iran, the Israelis offered assistance, but US forces managed to rescue the two pilots themselves, according to one of the sources. However, Israel carried out airstrikes to protect the operation.

The shepherd's complaint

The Israeli base was almost exposed in early March. Iraqi state media reported that a shepherd had reported unusual military activity in the area, including helicopter flights, prompting the Iraqi military to send forces to investigate.

Israel kept them at bay with airstrikes, one of the sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The Iraqi government had condemned the attack at the time, which killed an Iraqi soldier.

"This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval," Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy head of the Joint Operations Command, the country's central security agency, told Iraqi state media.

In a complaint filed later in March at the United Nations, Iraq said the attack involved foreign forces and airstrikes, attributing it to the United States. However, a source familiar with the matter said the United States was not involved in the attack.

The clash was widely covered by Iraqi and Arab media and caused strong speculation about the identities of those involved.

Chronology of the attack

Following the shepherd's report, Iraqi soldiers boarded vehicles and moved toward the area. The group was shot at, killing one soldier and wounding two others, according to Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi.

Iraqi authorities sent two more units from the Counter-Terrorism Service, which has played a key role in the fight against the Islamic State group, to join the search. The forces found evidence that military units had indeed been there.

"It appears there was a force on the ground before the attack, with air support that was beyond the capabilities of our units," Qais al-Muhammadawi told state media.

An Iraqi government spokesman declined to comment further on the incident or confirm whether Baghdad was aware of the Israeli base.

The United States has repeatedly carried out attacks in Iraq to protect its bases and other military installations.

Israel's course of action

The details of the base, and the risks Israel took to establish and defend it, illustrate how the country was able to conduct an air campaign against an enemy nearly 1,000 miles away.

The base in Iraq allowed Israel to be closer to the battlefield. According to the same sources, search and rescue teams were stationed there so that they could respond more quickly to possible emergency missions. Special forces trained to raid enemy territory were also stationed there.

The Israeli air force carried out thousands of raids against targets in Iran during the five-week conflict.

According to security experts, US forces often set up temporary operating bases just before major operations. A makeshift base was also set up inside Iran for the rescue operation of US pilots when their plane was shot down in early April.

The US destroyed planes and helicopters during the mission.

"It's normal to do reconnaissance and create these kinds of locations before operations," said analyst Michael Knights.

The desert advantage

Iraq's western desert is vast and sparsely populated, making it ideal for temporary outposts, Knights noted. U.S. special forces also used the area in operations against Saddam Hussein in 1991 and 2003./ Washington Post