Just before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in February, Tel Aviv reportedly built a clandestine military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Israel built the outpost housing special forces and serving as a logistics hub for the Israeli air force.
Report added, citing people familiar with the matter, that the Iraqi troops almost discovered the outpost in the early days of the Iran war, prompting an Israeli airstrike to keep them away. The building was reportedly erected with the US’s knowledge.
According to a source quoted in the report, Israel offered help with finding the downed US F-15 Airmen when Iran shot down the jet near Isfahan, using the search and rescue teams already deployed at its said Iraqi base.
These teams were deployed in case any Israeli plane was shot down during the operation against Iran.
The US is said to have rescued the two downed Airmen themselves, the WSJ report added that Israel helped by carrying out airstrikes to help protect the operation.
When the Israeli base in Iraq was almost discovered
The Israeli base in Iraq was almost discovered in early March when the strikes against Iran were in early stages, but at full swing. According to the Iraqi state media, a local shepherd reported unusual military activity in the area, including helicopter flights, and the Iraqi military sent troops to investigate.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing one of the people familiar with the matter, that Israel kept the Iraqi troops at bay with airstrikes.
The IDF has not issued a statement regarding such airstrikes, though the Iraqi government at the time condemned the attack, which left an Iraqi soldier dead.
“This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval,” Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of the Joint Operations Command, a central security body, told Iraqi state media in comments about the attack in early March.
In a complaint lodged later in March with the United Nations, Iraq said the attack involved foreign forces and airstrikes, attributing it to the US. But according to the Wall Street Journal, the US wasn’t involved in the attack, though Washington has carried out multiple strikes in Iraq to protect its own bases and other assets.
The clash was widely reported in Iraqi and Arab media and generated speculation about the identity of the combatants.
Why was the base important for Israel?
The base in Iraq allowed Israel to get closer to the battlefield in Iran. According to the WSJ report, Israel deployed search-and-rescue teams there to respond more quickly if needed for emergency rescue missions. Israeli air force special forces, trained to carry out commando operations in enemy territory, were also present on the base, it added.
Israel’s air force carried out thousands of strikes against targets in Iran during the five-week campaign.
US forces often set up temporary operational sites in the lead-up to military operations, security experts say. A makeshift forward-operating base was set up inside Iran and used in the mission to rescue the US airmen whose plane went down in early April.
“It’s normal that before operations you reconnoitre and set up these kinds of locations,” Michael Knights, the head of research for a strategic advisory firm, told WSJ.
The western desert region of Iraq is vast and sparsely populated, making it an ideal location for temporary outposts, Knights said. US Special Forces made use of this area in Iraq as part of operations against Saddam Hussein in 1991 and 2003.
Israeli officials have alluded to covert operations during the war. In early March, the head of the Israeli air force, Tomer Bar, issued a letter to his servicemen.
“These days, fighters from special units of the air force are conducting special missions which could ignite the imagination,” said Bar, who ended his term as air force chief in early May.
