Published : 18 May 2026, 05:30 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:44 PM
Israel secretly operated two covert military bases in Iraq's western desert for well over a year, with preparations beginning as far back as late 2024, The New York Times reports.
An Israeli outpost in Iraq had earlier been reported by The Wall Street Journal, an American newspaper.
Iraqi officials later told the Times there was a second undisclosed base, also in the western desert.
The bases came to light partly through a deadly incident on Mar 3, when Awad al-Shammari, 29, set off from a Bedouin encampment near the town of Al-Nukhaib on what his cousin Amir al-Shammari described as a routine grocery run.
Hours later, witnesses saw his truck return in flames, riddled with bullets, a helicopter chasing it down until it ground to a halt in the sand.
Before his death, al-Shammari had contacted Iraq's regional military command to report what he had seen: soldiers, helicopters, and tents clustered around a landing strip.
His family believes his discovery cost him his life. The killing had not been previously reported.
The base al-Shammari stumbled upon predated the current conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, senior Iraqi and regional officials told the newspaper.
It was used during the 12-day war against Tehran in June 2025, with preparations stretching back to late 2024 -- Israel quietly identifying remote desert sites from which to operate in future conflicts.
Israel's military declined repeated requests for comment on the bases or on al-Shammari's killing, as per the daily.
