Truth or Fake - Israel built two secret military bases in Iraq to aid Iran war, New York Times reports

France24 · 🇫🇷 public France · May 18, 2026 · 395 words · By Vedika BAHL

International Relations (Israel-Iraq-US) Covert Military Operations National Sovereignty

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What to know about International Relations (Israel-Iraq-US)

Israel built two secret military bases in Iraq to aid Iran war, New York Times reports To display this content from YouTube, you must enable

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

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

What happened

Israel built two secret military bases in Iraq to aid Iran war, New York Times reports To display this content from YouTube, you must enable

Why it matters

The stakes turn on whether readers accept that Iraqi officials confirmed the existence of a second base to the NYT. That point shapes the political meaning of the story.

Common ground

The clearest point to anchor on is this: Iraqi officials confirmed the existence of a second base to the NYT.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

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 officials confirmed the existence of a second base to the NYT?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.france24.com/en/israel-built-two-secret-military-bases-in-iraq-to-ai…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Iraqi officials confirmed the existence of a second base to the NYT”

CORROBORATED

Multiple reports explicitly state that Iraqi officials confirmed the existence of a second base to the New York Times.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting mili…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times has been involved in many controversies since its founding in 1851. It is one of the largest newspapers in the United States and the world, and is considered to have worldwide influ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_New_York_Times_con…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times (NYT) is a newspaper based in Manhattan, New York City. The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces and reviews. One of the lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “the US had knowledge of it [the second secret military base]”

CORROBORATED

Reports from multiple sources indicate the bases operated with US knowledge; specifically, one source mentions the base was built 'with the knowledge of the U.S.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Following the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war on 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel conducted airstrikes targeting several Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia militias under the Islamic Resistance in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States–Israeli_str…

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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

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “a helicopter opened fire on his truck, riddling it with bullets”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific detail about a helicopter opening fire on his truck is mentioned by Middle East Eye citing local witnesses, but not explicitly detailed in the other summaries provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — According to local witnesses, the discovery of the base by shepherd Awad al-Shammari, who stumbled upon it while on a trip for groceries, led to a helicopter opening fire on his truck. The NYT reporte…
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-farmer-killed-hide-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Al-Shammari had contacted Iraq’s regional military command to report what he had seen: soldiers, helicopters and tents clustered around a landing strip, the NYT said. Shortly after that, Gen.
https://qudsnen.co/post?id=67755&slug=iraqi-farmer-killed-af…

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web search NEUTRAL — According to the report, 29-year-old shepherd Awad al-Shammari was killed on March 3 after encountering unusual military activity near al-Nukhaib in Iraq’s western desert.
https://staging-en.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iraqi-offici…

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Claim 4: “Israel built a second secret military base in Iraq’s western desert to support its strikes on Iran”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (NYT, Al Jazeera, and other news reports) confirm that Israel operated at least two covert bases in Iraq's western desert to support operations against Iran.

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web search NEUTRAL — Israel, [a] officially the State of Israel, [b] is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel

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web search NEUTRAL — For 1st time, Israel didn't win 'rest of the world' vote and it received fewer top rankings from nations' voters than last year, but picked up jury points from 22 of 34 countries
https://www.timesofisrael.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — 23 hours ago · Israel is a country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status h…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel

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Claim 5: “the presence of these bases may have led to the death of the Bedouin shepherd who first sounded the alarm”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that a Bedouin shepherd, Awad al-Shammari, was killed after discovering and reporting the presence of the base.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In 2024, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict escalated to a series of direct confrontations between the two countries in April, July, and October that year. On 1 April, Israel bombed an Iranian consulate c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Iran–Israel_conflict

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( BED-oo-in; Arabic: بَدْو, romanized: badw, singular بَدَوِي badawī) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedouin

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the so…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “serving as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force and operated with US knowledge”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the base served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force and was operated with US knowledge.

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web search NEUTRAL — How was the Israeli base in Iraq discovered? Open-source analysts identified the suspected location close to Iraq’s border with Saudi Arabia, from satellite images, the WSJ reported.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/12/a-secret-israeli-ba…

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web search NEUTRAL — The secret installation reportedly hosted Israeli special forces and logistical support units near the Saudi border.The report said the base was built “just before the war started with the knowledge o…
https://palestina-komitee.nl/the-hidden-base-report-exposes-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Israel built and defended a secret military base in western Iraq to support its air campaign against Iran, according to a report first published by The Wall Street Journal.
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israel-clandestine-base-ir…

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Claim 7: “Israel and Iraq have no diplomatic relations”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “29 year old Awad al-Shammari was killed in early March, after stumbling upon the base and reporting unusual military activity in the area to Iraqi authorities”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources identify the victim as 29-year-old Awad al-Shammari, killed in early March (dates cited as March 3 or March 6) after reporting the base to authorities.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region (Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي في العراق, romanized: Ḥizb al-Ba‘th al-'Arabī al-Ishtirākī fī al-'Irāq), officially the Iraqi Regional Branch, was the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Socialist_Ba'ath_Party_–_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011. A Salafi jihadist, bin Laden worked to establi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Washington knew about at least one of the bases since June 2025, possibly earlier”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results specifying that Washington knew about the bases since 'June 2025'.

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Claim 10: “The Wall Street Journal reported last week that an Israeli military base was established before Tel Aviv and Washington's war with Iran”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources attribute the initial reporting of the clandestine base and its timing (before the war with Iran) to The Wall Street Journal.

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web search NEUTRAL — Wall construction falls into two basic categories: framed walls or mass-walls. In framed walls, the load is transferred to the foundation through posts, columns or studs.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall

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web search NEUTRAL — Stock Gains Without All the Taxes? How the Hottest Trade on Wall Street Works. The stock-market surge has propelled the use of a new kind of tax-loss harvesting. We break it down. The World Is...
https://www.wsj.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — drive / push to the wall, to force into a desperate situation; humiliate or ruin completely. Not content with merely winning the match, they used every opportunity to push the inferior team to the wal…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wall

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Claim 11: “Iraq's government has not officially recognised nor commented on the outposts' existence”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 12: “the Israeli military launched air strikes at Iraqi forces who almost discovered the site in March”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Israeli airstrikes specifically targeting Iraqi forces who almost discovered the site in March.

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Claim 13: “the Israeli military declined to comment to the New York Times”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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.