A report that Israel built a secret military base in the Iraqi desert before the second Iran war has cast new light on remarks made in March by then-Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar.
In a March 4 letter to his troops, days after the operation began, Bar wrote that special forces in the air force were carrying out “extraordinary missions that could ignite the imagination.”
That same day, the Arabic edition of The Independent reported a suspicious incident in Iraq. Citing an Iraqi lawmaker, it said a force, apparently American, carried out a rapid landing under air cover in the Najaf-Karbala desert in southwestern Iraq.
The report said four to seven helicopters entered from Syria and that Iraqi forces sent to investigate came under fire.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the Israeli base was nearly exposed in early March, after a local shepherd noticed unusual activity, including helicopter flights. Iraqi forces sent to investigate were reportedly pushed back by Israeli airstrikes, which killed an Iraqi soldier.
AFP later reported that the force set up a base on a runway built under Saddam Hussein that had not been in use. A security official told the agency that no forces remained on the ground and that the Israeli operation was carried out in coordination with the United States.
Another source told AFP there were indications that an Israeli team operated under U.S. protection, and confirmed the presence of American Chinook helicopters at the site. Equipment, including radar, was left behind, the source said. The site, hidden in a valley, was chosen to avoid Iranian fire, he added.
Open-source intelligence accounts have since posted satellite images they say show a temporary runway in Iraq. One account said the runway, about 1.6 kilometers long, was built on a dry lake bed about 180 kilometers southwest of Najaf and Karbala. Another said heavy rains may have rendered it unusable.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Israeli and U.S. officials familiar with the matter said Israel built the secret desert post shortly before the war, with U.S. knowledge, to support the air campaign against Iran. The base reportedly housed rescue teams that could respond quickly if pilots needed to be extracted, as well as air force special operations forces trained for commando missions in enemy territory.
After a U.S. F-15 was downed near Isfahan, Israel offered to help, but American forces rescued the crew themselves, according to the report. Israel did carry out airstrikes to help secure the rescue operation, it said.
Saudi channel Al Hadath cited a security source as saying an unidentified military presence was detected in western Iraq during the war. The source said Iraq could not identify the force in the Najaf desert, and that the United States told Iraq not to approach the area for security reasons. Iraqi forces later searched the area and found no base or military presence, the source said.
An Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera there was no indication of an Israeli force in western Iraq during the war and said it was more likely American. The source said jamming and warning devices were found in Wadi Shanan in western Iraq, but no military forces were currently on the ground.