Israel reportedly set up a secret military base in the Iraqi desert in February in order to support its aerial campaign against Iran.

According to a Saturday report in the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials and other sources, Israel built the base shortly before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran started on February 28, to serve as a hub for logistics to support the Israeli Air Force.

It also housed special forces troops and search-and-rescue teams poised to act if any Israeli pilots were downed, the report said. To protect the outpost, Israeli troops even launched airstrikes against Iraqi forces who nearly discovered it in early March, according to the newspaper.

The strikes killed one Iraqi soldier, Baghdad said at the time, after Iraqi media reported that a local shepherd witnessed “unusual military activity,” including helicopters and gunfire in a remote area. According to the Journal, the Israeli strikes succeeded in deterring Iraqi forces from any further investigation.

The IDF declined to comment on the report.

Iraq, which initially blamed the March attack on the US, said at the time: “This reckless operation was carried out without coordination or approval.”

The US was not involved in the operation, sources told the American news outlet.

“It........

© The Times of Israel