Iraqi authorities are still trying to contain the embarrassment caused by reports that an Israeli force was stationed in a desert area between Najaf and Karbala in early March, taking what observers describe as belated security measures while issuing conflicting accounts of the incident.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Israel had set up a secret makeshift military base in the Iraqi desert to support its war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28, 2026.
Citing US officials, the newspaper said Israel built the site to support its air campaign against Iran and carried out airstrikes on Iraqi forces that nearly uncovered it early in the war.
On Tuesday, Iraqi army Chief of Staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah arrived in the Al-Nukhaib district of Karbala with a senior military delegation to review security conditions.
The Defense Ministry said the visit was aimed at following up on security preparations and assessing the latest developments in the area.
The statements by security bodies and officials appeared increasingly contradictory. On Tuesday, Karbala Operations Commander Ali al-Hashemi acknowledged that an Israeli force had been present inside Iraqi territory in early March.
Media outlets quoted Hashemi as saying the force in the Najaf desert in March was Israeli and “did not remain for more than 48 hours.”
Tahseen al-Khafaji, the Defense Ministry’s media director, said the “unknown force” had been carrying American weapons and had been in the area for only a few hours. He denied that it had set up a military base.
‘Imposing sovereignty’
In a related move, the Popular Mobilization Forces announced on Tuesday the launch of an operation to “impose sovereignty” the Najaf and Karbala desert. The operation was ordered by the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is being supervised by Yarallah, according to a statement.
Ali al-Hamdani, commander of the PMF’s Middle Euphrates operations, said the operation began along four axes in the Najaf and Karbala desert to secure the road linking the city of Karbala to Al-Nukhaib.
He said the forces were conducting search-and-comb operations as deep as 70 kilometers, under strict military plans and with a high level of professionalism.
Denial
Iraq’s Joint Operations Command on Monday denied the presence of any unauthorized bases or forces on Iraqi territory.
“We are closely following statements and reports about the presence of unauthorized bases and forces on Iraqi territory, specifically in the Karbala desert east of Al-Nukhaib and Najaf,” it said.
It said the issue stemmed from an incident on March 5 when Iraqi security forces from Karbala and Najaf moved into the area and clashed with unknown, unauthorized detachments backed at the time by aircraft.
One Iraqi security fighter was killed, two others were wounded, and a vehicle was disabled.
It said its units and commands, under the direction and planning of the Joint Operations Command, were continuing regular searches of all sectors, especially desert areas, up to Iraq’s international borders. It stressed that no unauthorized bases or forces had been present since the March incident.
Criticism
The revelation that an Israeli force had been present on Iraqi territory triggered criticism of the government and security leadership.
The Joint Operations Command said some parties were trying to exploit the incident politically and were making “one-upmanship” statements without knowing the facts.
It said such statements harmed Iraq’s reputation and that of its security leadership, which “confirms, indeed asserts,” that there are currently no unauthorized forces or bases on Iraqi territory.
Former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sharply criticized authorities on Monday over the breach.
“A state in whose name slogans of sovereignty and security preservation are raised must not be surprised by incidents of this scale on its territory, nor should it be run according to the logic of media images and propaganda victories. Reality reveals a dangerous fragility in control, decision-making, and oversight,” Kadhimi said in a post on X.
He said Iraq’s protection cannot be secured through speeches or political promotion campaigns, but by building a state that owns its decision, imposes its authority over all its territory, subjects weapons to the law, and prevents the country from becoming an open arena for settling regional and international conflicts.
