Israel built two secret military sites in Iraq’s western desert to support operations against Iran, according to a New York Times report, Anadolu reports.

The newspaper, citing Iraqi and regional officials, said a newly discovered site was one of two secret facilities used intermittently by Israel inside Iraq for more than a year.

Officials said the sites were used for support. air, refueling and medical services and later played a role during the 12-day war against Iran in June 2025.

One of the sites came to light after Iraqi shepherd Awad al-Shammari encountered unusual military activity near Al-Nukhaib in March and alerted local authorities after seeing helicopters, tents and what appeared to be a makeshift landing strip, according to the newspaper.

The news said that Al-Shammari later disappeared and was found dead, while Iraqi forces sent to investigate the area were also attacked, leaving one soldier dead and two others wounded.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had set up a military hideout in Iraq’s western desert to support operations against Iran.

In comments to Anadolu following the Wall Street Journal report, a senior security official rejected claims of Israeli military activity in Iraq’s western desert as “false”.

The official said Iraqi forces had faced a “mysterious” air operation in the al-Nukhaib desert area in March and that the incident had been dealt with at the time.

Source: prizrenpost