Overview
- The Wall Street Journal disclosed Saturday that Israel set up a covert outpost in western Iraq to back a five-week air campaign against Iran.
- The site hosted Israeli special forces, served as a supply and staging hub for the air force, and kept search-and-rescue teams ready to recover any downed pilots to cut response time over long distances.
- In early March, a local shepherd’s tip drew Iraqi troops to the area, and reporting says Israeli airstrikes pushed them back, leaving one Iraqi soldier dead and two wounded.
- After the clash, Iraq filed a complaint at the United Nations blaming the United States for the strike, while U.S. officials denied involvement and Israel has not commented.
- Analysts say western Iraq’s vast, sparsely populated desert makes it useful for temporary forward bases, a practice seen in past U.S. operations, and the report has sharpened scrutiny of how such sites test Iraqi sovereignty and regional ties.