Israel Operated a Second Military Base in Iraq During Strikes on Iran, NYT Reports
The New York Times: “Israel spent over a year preparing a covert site in Iraq for its operations against Iran.”
In the run-up to joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) set up at least two secret military bases in the Iraqi desert, The New York Times revealed Sunday.
The details of a second secret installation came a week after The Wall Street Journal reported the existence of a clandestine Israeli air base in a remote location southwest of Baghdad.
Israel began developing these secret forward bases at least a year ago, and reportedly operated them during the 12-Day War (June 13-24), and the currently paused operation Epic Fury against Iran. “Israel spent over a year preparing a covert site in Iraq for its operations against Iran, regional officials say,” the NYT wrote, reporting on the second site.
On July 14, 2025, a Syrian shepherd filmed 2 low-flying C-130 transport aircraft, believed to be Israeli, crossing the remote desert near the Iraqi border.
At the time, the footage drew little attention.
Today, that video looks far more significant after reports revealed that… pic.twitter.com/pBPUs1hre7
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 17, 2026
The secret bases, set up to support joint U.S.-Israeli operations against Tehran, housed IDF special forces, logistic hubs, and airstrips. They were seen as launch pads for search-and-rescue missions if Israeli or U.S. pilots ejected over Iranian airspace.
Israel had informed the U.S. about the existence of the bases. Still, the Iraqi government, deeply infiltrated by pro-Iranian agents and sympathizers, was not informed, The New York Times complained. “Baghdad has struggled to balance ties with Washington and neighboring Iran, which wields significant influence through allied militias and political factions,” Israel’s Ynetnews noted Sunday. “The Trump administration has increased pressure on Iraq to curb Iranian influence, demanding Baghdad disarm pro-Iran militias and prevent them from integrating further into Iraqi state institutions and security forces.”
According to The NYT:
“… Iraq had played host to two covert bases operated intermittently by Israel, a hostile state, for well over a year.
Israeli forces began preparing to build the makeshift base as far back as late 2024, one of the regional officials said — identifying remote sites from which to operate in future conflicts.
Israel’s military declined repeated requests for comment (…).
Most of the officials who discussed the Israeli bases insisted on anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive security matter.
The information they shared indicates that at least one of the bases (…) had been known to Washington since June 2025 or possibly earlier. That would most likely mean Baghdad’s other key ally, the United States, had withheld from Iraq the fact that hostile forces were on its soil.
While Israel has not formally commented on these reports, this appears to be one of the largest and most elaborate clandestine operations in recent military history. The IDF also conducted covert operations on Iranian soil during the recent strikes. A week into Operation Epic Fury, Israeli special forces were reportedly operating inside Iran. “IDF special forces, together with Mossad operatives, operated inside Iran during the overnight hours,” the Israel Hayom newspaper reported March 3, citing Arab media outlets.
During the 12-Day War, “ground commando forces” inside Iran helped the Israeli Air Force in gaining “full control over Iranian airspace,” Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir disclosed days after the War.
Israel operated at least two secret military bases in Iraq over the past year, reportedly, contradicting earlier accounts of a single facility.
The @IDF used one of the bases during operations against Iran in June 2025, maintaining the covert presence under Baghdad's radar for…
— C14 News Israel | EN (@c14israel) May 17, 2026
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
ya know, if you cannot hold your territory against foreign – enemy – nations, is it really your territory?
I posit that Israel now owns that property by right of military power
.
Sort of what China is doing here, no?
Presumably NYT reported this so it wouldn’t happen again, the traitorous little crap weasels … not that I expect anything different from the media.
I’m ready to drone the NYT building. Actually I have nothing against the building itself. It’s the sanctimonious antiWestern antiSemites that deserve droning in my opinion.
Note to self – To get that ahole Krystal it will be necessary to branch out to Oregon I believe but no loss there.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is part of an Israeli deception. Note the reports state that Israel prepared these bases well in advance of military conflict. I’m betting they have the ability to establish these sorts of bases with very little to no preparation. So if Iraq and Iran don’t discover any bases being prepared in their respective AOs, they will believe that Israelis would be incapable of operations like this. Think again.
D’oh! Those crafty Jews are at it again!
“While Israel has not formally commented on these reports, this appears to be one of the largest and most elaborate clandestine operations in recent military history.”
The received wisdom here is that the press is entitled to top secret information and the right to criticize it out of context. Watch in the next few days if the word “controversial” is used in describing this operation.
In truth, the Israelis should say nothing and apologize for nothing. Iran (and Islam generally) poses an existential threat to the west and the sooner we geld that threat the better. Not only for civilized men but for goats as well.
As for what’s to be done with the press, I ask for you to read what Gen. W. T. Sherman had to say about reporters.
Gelding is insufficient. Destruction is called for.
I think each member of the NYT should receive an apple Watch for their service. I’m some wholesaler could be contracted to obtain them for a good price,
A retired US military officer once told me that he had to escort a bunch of officers from a couple Arab countries during their visit to the USA. He said that one result was that his prior respect for the Israeli military plummeted.
“The received wisdom here is that the press is entitled to top secret information and the right to criticize it out of context.”
The American press are traitors and should be dealt with as such
And they really hate Jews.
Good on ’em! The Israelis have been doing this stuff since at least the Entebbe Raid. Keep it up, folks. And, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.
Gee, you woulda thought the Israelis were fighting for something important (like their beliefs, history, etc.) and planned ahead.
Wake up, people – 2023 estimates: Muslims, 2,000,000,000; Jews, 15,700,000 S0 using these numbers there are 127 Muslims for every Jew.
Maybe the large group should ask themselves why the mini-size group scares members of the large group????
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=worldwide+population+of+ews+and+muslims&t=osx&ia=web
The NYT is part of the CIA. Watch 3 Days of the Condor. They make it look like the NYT is the good guy, but the movie really does expose how the CIA is screwing with everyone. The libs love to show that they know what is going on in an off handed way. Falcon and the Snowman is another one of those good movies that depict a slice of truth.
As a former minion of the US State Department, I only wish the CIA had a millionth the power it is credited with having by our enemies foreign and domestic.
The press used to snoop out stories and then hold the, when requested with the payoff being additional exclusive information. They don’t do that any longer and there have been many instances where they have compromised an effective intelligence operation or technique. Probably some people as well,
They and especially the NYT always says the people have a right to know. Usually that’s BS. Often the people don’t need to know or don’t care or wouldn’t understand. They do it because they want awards and they know they’ll get one if they disclose critical information.
There is a difference between a leaker and a whistleblower. Whistleblower is for information about clearly illegal practices. A leaker disagrees politically what is being done and releases the information to stop it or someone. There is a big difference and the leakers should be caught and strung up,
Leave a Comment