A new report by the New York Times claims Israel built a second secret military base in Iraq’s western desert to support its strikes on Iran, and that the United States had knowledge of it. Citing an Iraqi official and lawmaker, the NYT reported that the presence of these bases may have led to the death of the Bedouin shepherd who first sounded the alarm.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that an Israeli military base was established before Tel Aviv and Washington's war with Iran, serving as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force and operated with US knowledge. It alleged the Israeli military launched air strikes at Iraqi forces who almost discovered the site in March.
The new report claims Washington knew about at least one of the bases since June 2025, possibly earlier, implying this is information concealed from strategic partner Baghdad. Considering Israel and Iraq have no diplomatic relations, this has, according to a lawmaker quoted in the article, shown “a blatant disregard for Iraqi sovereignty".
Iraq's government has not officially recognised nor commented on the existence of the outposts. The Israeli military also declined to comment on repeated request for comment by the New York Times on both the existence of the bases and the killing of al-Shammari.
Since these reports of covert military outposts were made public, misleading photos have also circulated online, claiming to show that the Israeli sites use AI-generated imagery.
Vedika Bahl talks us through the story in Truth or Fake
