An Iraqi shepherd almost uncovered a secret Israeli military base in the desert earlier this year.
The base was built to be used as part of the Israeli-US attack on Iran in February, and served as a “logistical hub” for its air force, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The base was almost uncovered in March after the shepherd reported “unusual military activity”, which included helicopter flights, to the Iraqi authorities.
Special forces were stationed at the base, from which Israeli forces would have launched search and rescue missions in case of downed fighter jets.
However, no Israeli aircraft were shot down during the war.
According to the report, which cited US officials, Washington was aware of the secret base in the desert; however, it does not specify its location.
The Iraqi military sent troops to investigate the secret site, but Israel launched air strikes to prevent them from finding the base.
The strikes killed one soldier and wounded two others.
A top secret military based was exposed to Iraqi authorities by a shepherd
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Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, told Iraqi media in March: “It appears there was a certain force on the ground before the strike, supported from the air, operating beyond the capabilities of our units.
“This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval.”
Iran complained to the UN about the strike on its troops, blaming the US for the casualties.
Washington denied responsibility.
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The shepherd alerted the Iraqi authorities to 'unusual activity' near the base
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The military correspondent for Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, said that satellite images showed the secret base was hidden 110 miles west of the city of Najaf.
Kan said the imagery showed an improvised airstrip, with trenches indicating an area where soldiers were concentrated.
The public broadcaster said that during their investigation, they found that the runway was built in February, before the Israeli-American strikes began on Iran.
Israeli forces are known for operating deep behind enemy lines, and have done so for decades.
In 1981, its fighter jets bombed the French-built Osirak nuclear reactor that was based in the south of Baghdad.
They also bombed the al-Kubar facility near Deir ez-Zor, which Israel suspected was a secret nuclear base in 2007.
And most recently, in 2024, 120 Israeli special forces took part in a ground operation in Syria, destroying an underground Iranian missile plant.
The missiles were intended for use by the Assad regime and Hezbollah, but were blown up in September last year.
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