Exposed: Secret Israeli combat hub maintained deep inside Iraq
Shafaq News- Middle East
Israel operated a secret military base in Iraq’s western desert during its 2026 war against Iran, deploying commando teams, emergency medical units, and Special Forces to the remote area, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Sunday.
The Israeli Air Force’s Seventh Wing, which coordinates special operations and commando units, deployed most of the ground forces at the site.
According to Maariv, the mission narrowly avoided a major accident after two Israeli military helicopters collided during a sandstorm in the Iraqi desert. One helicopter was preparing to take off when poor visibility forced the pilot to abort the maneuver and try to land. The aircraft overturned and struck a second helicopter nearby.
No injuries were recorded among the crews or fighters, though one helicopter sustained severe damage. Maintenance teams repaired the second aircraft on site, while the heavily damaged helicopter was later transported to Tel Nof Airbase in Israel for repairs.
Details of the covert activity remained under Israeli military censorship for months before authorities cleared publication following a Wall Street Journal account on Saturday. Citing US officials, the American outlet detailed that Israeli warplanes carried out strikes against Iraqi forces that approached the area and came close to discovering the site.
The revelations renewed questions surrounding a mysterious incident reported on March 4, 2026, in the desert between Karbala and Najaf provinces, where an Iraqi reconnaissance force came under air attack, leaving one fighter dead and two others wounded. At the time, security leaks pointed to a possible airborne operation carried out by US forces deep in the western desert of Karbala. However, a later statement from the Iraqi Joint Operations Command dismissed any airborne deployment and did not identify the party responsible for the strike.
