Established by Saddam: New details emerge about the Israeli base in the Najaf desert
Established by Saddam: New details emerge about the Israeli base in the Najaf desert
5-11-2026
Information/Follow-up…
Western media reports and previous Israeli statements have sparked a wave of speculation regarding the existence of a secret Israeli military base in the Iraqi desert, allegedly established in coordination with the United States to support military operations against Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Israel established a secret military center in a desert region of Iraq before the outbreak of the last war with Iran, with the aim of supporting the air campaign and securing rescue and evacuation operations for pilots.
Yedioth Ahronoth noted that this information has revived previous statements by former Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, in which he spoke of “extraordinary missions” carried out by special air force units.
According to reports, the base was established on a runway built by the previous regime and not in use, in a desert area near Najaf and Karbala. Security sources have reported airborne operations carried out during the war by helicopters, and jamming equipment and radars have been observed at the site.
According to the newspaper, Israel had deployed rescue and evacuation teams to the base to ensure a rapid response should the need arise to rescue downed pilots. Additionally, it was alleged that special forces from the Israeli Air Force, trained in commando operations in enemy territory, were present at the base. The
report indicated that a force entered from the Syrian side with four to seven helicopters, and that a military force from the Karbala Operations Command was dispatched to investigate the incident and came under fire.
Open-source intelligence websites, such as OSNET, circulated satellite images purportedly showing a temporary airstrip approximately 1.6 kilometers long in a remote desert area of western Iraq.
In contrast, Iraqi security sources denied possessing evidence confirming the presence of Israeli forces on Iraqi soil, suggesting that the observed military movements were likely American. They confirmed that security forces had conducted sweeps of the desert areas without finding any permanent military presence.
Other reports indicated that the United States had informed Iraq during the war that it should avoid certain desert areas “for security reasons,” which further fueled the debate surrounding the nature of the military movements in those regions.
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