Israel build two covert bases in Iraq for Iran war — media

TASS · 🇮🇷 public Iran · May 17, 2026 · 274 words

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What to know about Israel build two covert bases in Iraq for Iran war — media

The article reports on claims by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that Israel has operated covert military bases in Iraq. It details allegations of US concealment of these bases from the Iraqi government and an incident involving Iraqi troops being fired upon at one of the sites.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

/TASS/ Israel has been secretary operating two military bases in Iraq for more than a year, The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing sources.

Why it matters

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that prior to the armed conflict with Iran, Israel deployed a covert military base to Iraq that served a s logistics hub for its air force.

Common ground

Special operations forces and search and rescue teams were also stationed there in case Israeli aircraft were shot down during combat operations.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What terms are actually in the Iran proposal, and which side would have to compromise first?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Iraqi troops conducted remote surveillance of the base and later requested additional information from their American counterparts, but received no response?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/world/2132015

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

cancel Disputed 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Iraqi troops conducted remote surveillance of the base and later requested additional information from their American counterparts, but received no response”

DISPUTED

While some reports suggest Iraqi troops investigated the site, other sources explicitly state that the Iraqi government and security officials deny the existence of such bases and found no evidence during searches.

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web search NEUTRAL — Iraq rejects claims of a secret Israeli base, saying troops found no evidence during multiple searches in desert areas. The Wall Street Journal reported Israel built a logistical hub with US knowledge…
https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/2026/05/10/iraq-dispute…

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web search NEUTRAL — BAGHDAD (AP) — Israeli forces set up a post in the desert in Iraq at the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Iraqi and U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The existence of the secret Is…
https://apnews.com/article/iraq-israel-camp-desert-iran-43ed…

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web search NEUTRAL — A senior Iraqi security official denied Sunday media reports claiming Israel had established a secret military base in Iraq's desert to support airstrikes against Iran, Anadolu reports. The ...
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260510-iraqi-security-of…

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Claim 2: “Another unit of the Iraqi army attempted to approach the base but came under fire and was forced to retreat”

CORROBORATED

TASS (citing NYT) and another web source report that an Iraqi army unit attempted to approach the base and came under fire.

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web search NEUTRAL — Another unit of the Iraqi army attempted to approach the base but came under fire and was forced to retreat. As a result of the incident, one Iraqi soldier was killed, two were wounded, and two vehicl…
https://tass.com/world/2132015

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web search NEUTRAL — Israel spent over a year preparing a covert site in Iraq for its operations against Iran, regional officials say. Iraqi officials later confirmed the existence of a second base.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/world/europe/israel-iraq-…

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web search NEUTRAL — 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 d…
https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5272487-iraqi-authorit…

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Claim 3: “Israel has been secretary operating two military bases in Iraq for more than a year”

CORROBORATED

The claim that Israel operated two military bases in Iraq for over a year is reported by TASS (citing NYT) and another web source mentioning regional officials.

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web search NEUTRAL — The establishment of military bases abroad enables a country to project power, e.g., to conduct expeditionary warfare, to influence events abroad. Depending on their size and infrastructure, they can …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_oversea…

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web search NEUTRAL — Israel spent over a year preparing a covert site in Iraq for its operations against Iran, regional officials say.Israel was operating a base there to support its military operations against Baghdad’s …
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/world/europe/israel-iraq-…

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web search NEUTRAL — TASS/ Israel has been secretary operating two military bases in Iraq for more than a year, The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing sources.Meanwhile, the Iraqi government rejects any presence of Isr…
https://tass.com/world/2132015

verified

Claim 4: “Israel began preparations to build one of the bases in late 2024”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about Israel and Iraq, but no specific date or confirmation regarding preparations in 'late 2024'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iraq–Israel relations refer to the bilateral ties between the State of Israel and the Republic of Iraq. Due to Iraq's non-recognition of Israel as a legitimate state since the latter's establishment i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq–Israel_relations

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Israel supported Iran during the Iran–Iraq War. Israel was one of the main suppliers of military equipment to Iran during the war. Israel also provided military instructors during the war, and in turn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_support_for_Iran_durin…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 17 January 1991, Iraq initiated a missile campaign against Israel. Over the course of the next month, approximately 42 Scud missiles were fired into Israeli territory, primarily at the cities of Te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Iraqi_missile_attacks_aga…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “Its exact location is unknown, but it is known to be located in the desert in the western part of the country”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'second' and does not contain information about the location of a base in western Iraq.

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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of SECOND is next to the first in place or time. How to use second in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second

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web search NEUTRAL — In science, a second is the time it takes for a caesium atom to vibrate 9,192,631,770 (around 9 billion) times. Scientists measure the second this way because the length of a day changes all the time.
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second

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web search NEUTRAL — The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day, first into hours, then into minutes, and lastly into seconds, for a total of 24 × 60 × 60 = 86 400 seconds per day. That …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second

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Claim 6: “Israel deployed a covert military base to Iraq that served a s logistics hub for its air force”

CORROBORATED

The establishment of a covert logistics hub for the air force is reported by TASS (citing WSJ) and other web results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Israeli Air Force (IAF; Hebrew: זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, romanized: Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, lit. 'Air and Space Arm', commonly known as חֵיל הָאֲוִיר‎, Kheil HaAvir, "Air Corps") operates as the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Air_Force

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF; Arabic: القوة الجوية العراقية, romanized: al-Qūwah al-jawwīyah al-ʻIrāqīyah) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defens…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Air_Force

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the Iraqi government rejects any presence of Israeli bases in the country”

CORROBORATED

TASS explicitly states that the Iraqi government rejects the presence of Israeli bases, and other sources mention Iraqi security officials denying the reports.

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Claim 8: “As a result of the incident, one Iraqi soldier was killed, two were wounded, and two vehicles were blown up”

CORROBORATED

The specific casualty count (one killed, two wounded, two vehicles destroyed) is reported by TASS (citing NYT) and another independent web source.

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web search NEUTRAL — Airstrikes targeting a joint Iraqi army and PMF base in Anbar on March 24th killed at least seven Iraqi soldiers and wounded thirteen more survivors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States–Israeli_str…

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web search NEUTRAL — One soldier was killed, two were wounded and two vehicles were bombed before the units decided to retreat. Top Iraqi security officials in Baghdad were struggling to understand what had happened.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/world/europe/israel-iraq-…

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Claim 9: “Special operations forces and search and rescue teams were also stationed there in case Israeli aircraft were shot down during combat operations”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the presence of special operations forces and search-and-rescue teams to recover downed pilots.

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web search NEUTRAL — Search-and-rescue teams were positioned there in case Israeli pilots were downed.Israeli air force special forces, trained to carry out commando operations in enemy territory, were also present on the…
https://www.financetwitter.com/2026/05/israel-built-a-secret…

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web search NEUTRAL — Search-and-rescue teams were also stationed there to recover downed Israeli pilots if necessary.Iraqi troops were dispatched to investigate, but Israeli forces allegedly carried out airstrikes to prev…
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israel-clandestine-base-ir…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that prior to the armed conflict with Iran, Israel deployed a covert military base to Iraq that served a s logistics hub for its air force. Special operations …
https://tass.com/world/2132015

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.