Secret Israeli bases in the Iraqi desert spark a political and security storm

Washington – Said Arikat – 5/17/2026

Press reports and testimonies from Iraqi and regional officials have revealed the existence of two secret military bases established by Israel deep in the Iraqi western desert, a development that highlights the fragility of Iraqi sovereignty and raises serious questions about the American role, the limits of Iranian influence, and the nature of the escalating regional conflict between Israel and Tehran.

According to information published by the "New York Times" on Sunday, one of the bases was discovered after the killing of Iraqi shepherd Awad Al-Shammari, 29, last March, after he encountered the presence of forces, helicopters, and military installations near the desert area of Al-Nukhaib, located in western Iraq.

The newspaper stated that Al-Shammari reported what he saw to the Iraqi military command before contact with him was later lost. Two days later, his relatives found his burned body near his destroyed vehicle in the desert, while eyewitnesses reported that a helicopter pursued his car and repeatedly fired at it until it stopped.

Although Israel refused to comment on the incident or on the existence of its bases inside Iraq, Iraqi officials confirmed to the newspaper the existence of a second base also in the western desert region, which was used to support Israeli military operations against Iran during the June 2025 war.

According to regional security officials, Israel began preparing these bases since late 2024, by selecting remote locations suitable as logistical and air support points in any future confrontation with Iran, especially to reduce the distances Israeli aircraft travel during their operations.

Officials said the base discovered by Al-Shammari was used to provide air support, refueling, and medical evacuation during the short 12-day Israeli-Iranian war last year.

Shock within Iraq

This information sparked a wide wave of anger within Iraq, where politicians and parliamentarians considered the presence of Israeli bases on Iraqi territory a blatant violation of national sovereignty and revealed a serious weakness in the security system.

Iraqi MP Waad Al-Qaddo, who attended a secret parliamentary briefing on the issue, said that what happened "reflects a clear disregard for Iraq's sovereignty and the dignity of its people."

In contrast, Major General Ali Al-Hamdani, commander of the Iraqi Middle Euphrates Forces, admitted that Iraqi forces had suspected for weeks the existence of "unusual" military activity in the western desert, but they confined themselves to remote monitoring without approaching the site.

Al-Hamdani added that the Iraqi army requested clarifications from the American side about the mysterious military activity, but received no response.

One day after Al-Shammari's disappearance, Baghdad sent a reconnaissance force to the area, but it came under fire and shelling, which led to the killing of an Iraqi soldier and the injury of others, forcing the force to withdraw.

Following the incident, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced that a "foreign force" attacked Iraqi forces, while subsequent communications between Baghdad and the US military command indicated that the attacking forces were "not American," which reinforced the belief that they were Israeli.

The American role under scrutiny

These developments place the United States under accusation, especially with former American military and diplomatic officials confirming that the US Central Command could not be unaware of the existence of Israeli military activity inside Iraq, given the close coordination between the American and Israeli armies.

Iraqi officials also indicated that Washington requested Baghdad during the recent war to shut down Iraqi radar systems to protect American aircraft, which made Iraq more dependent on American information to monitor any hostile military movements.

Observers believe that this reinforces the impression that Washington either concealed information from the Iraqi government, or that it informed some Iraqi leaders who preferred to keep the matter secret to avoid an internal political crisis.

This issue reveals the extent of erosion that has affected the concept of Iraqi sovereignty since the American invasion in 2003, as Iraq has become an open arena for regional and international competition, without an actual ability to control its borders or security decisions. The presence of secret Israeli bases inside Iraqi territory, whether with or without Baghdad's knowledge, reflects a deep imbalance in the structure of the Iraqi state. Moreover, the inability of Iraqi forces to deal directly with these sites, or even to detect them early, highlights the complexity of the security scene, where American, Iranian, and Israeli interests overlap at the expense of independent Iraqi national decision-making.

These developments put the Trump administration under increasing criticism within Iraq and the region, especially if it is proven that Washington was aware of the Israeli presence and did not officially inform Baghdad. The American administration has always presented itself as an ally that respects Iraq's sovereignty, but allowing Israel to use Iraqi territory in operations against Iran could completely undermine this discourse. The matter also gives pro-Tehran armed factions an additional pretext to attack the American presence and reject any calls for their disarmament, on the grounds that the United States has become a direct partner in transforming Iraq into a platform for regional conflict.

From the Israeli perspective, these bases reveal a remarkable development in Israeli military doctrine, based on expanding the scope of operations far from traditional borders. Israel now believes that confronting Iran cannot be limited to Syrian or Gulf airspace, but requires a broader intelligence and logistical deployment within the region. The use of the Iraqi desert also indicates an increasing reliance on insecure areas to establish temporary military structures that are difficult to detect. This reflects Israel's transition from a strategy of "limited strikes" to building more complex and sustainable regional operational networks.

As for the Iraqi popular level, the issue is likely to leave a deep psychological and political impact, especially with the killing of the shepherd Awad Al-Shammari, who has become a symbol of what many describe as "official neglect." The issue is no longer just a security file, but has become linked to feelings of national humiliation and the feeling that Iraq's lands are being used by external powers without the knowledge of citizens or even state institutions. The escalation of popular anger may lead to increased pressure on the Iraqi government to take a tougher stance towards the foreign military presence, whether American or otherwise.