Iraq denies claims of Israeli ‘clandestine’ base in southern desert

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi defense ministry on Tuesday denied to Rudaw the claims that Israel had set up a “clandestine military outpost” in a southern Iraq desert, describing the allegation as an exaggerated account of a single engagement that took place in early March.

Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, Director of Media and Moral Guidance at the ministry, said that “on March 3, we were alerted to the presence of armed individuals” in the desert area between Karbala and Najaf provinces. He added that “when Karbala Operations Command units deployed to the site on March 4, they came under aerial bombardment, which killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded two others.”

Khafaji further noted that, while a small foreign force may have briefly established a presence in the area amid the broader regional conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, a follow-up Iraqi mission on March 5 found no evidence of any installation.

“There was no base, no airstrip, nor any sign that any administrative or military work had been conducted there,” Khafaji affirmed, adding that the origin of the aircraft involved in the March 4 strike remains unconfirmed.

The remarks come against the backdrop of a Saturday report by The Wall Street Journal, which stated that “Israel set up a clandestine military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who almost discovered it early in the war, people familiar with the matter, including U.S. officials, said.”

According to the newspaper, the installation “housed special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force, just before the war started with the knowledge of the U.S.”

In a related development on Monday, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) issued a firm denial regarding "unauthorized bases or forces" within the country. The Security Media Cell (SMC), representing the JOC, characterized the circulation of outdated images as an attempt by certain parties to gain political leverage from a singular incident in March.

The SMC clarified that the incident in question occurred on March 5, when security forces from Najaf and Karbala encountered unidentified detachments supported by air power. This confrontation resulted in one fatality and two injuries among Iraqi personnel, along with vehicle damage.

According to a late Monday statement, the SMC continues to monitor reports of unauthorized activity in the Karbala desert but maintains that thorough reviews by security commanders confirm no such bases have existed since the March encounter.

Importantly, the SMC, which alongside the JOC reports to the Iraqi prime minister in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, further accused “some parties” of attempting to “exploit this incident politically” and making “exaggerated statements without knowledge of the facts.”

“All such statements harm Iraq’s reputation and its security leadership, which confirms - and firmly asserts - that there are currently no unauthorized forces or bases on Iraqi territory,” the SMC said, warning that “legal measures will be taken against anyone attempting to spread misleading information or malicious rumors that send negative messages about Iraq’s sovereignty, prestige, and the sacrifices of its security institutions.”