{"id":109987,"date":"2026-05-12T11:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/109987\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:21:09","slug":"iranian-backed-militias-search-iraq-for-zionist-american-base-in-show-of-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/109987\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian-backed militias search Iraq for ‘Zionist-American’ base in show of force"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of the Wall Street Journal report about a \u201csecret Israeli base<\/a>\u201d set up in Iraq during the Iran war, the Iraqi government and various militias are seeking answers.<\/p>\n

The WSJ had said that \u201cIsrael built and defended a secret Iran war base in Iraq.\u201d Now Iraq\u2019s Popular Mobilization Forces and the army say they have launched \u201ca large-scale operation to impose sovereignty in the Najaf desert.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PMF is made up of Iranian-backed militias. These include Kataib Hezbollah<\/a>, and other groups that are sanctioned by the US as terrorist groups. The militias play a major role in Iraq. In recent months, they have been posted along the Syrian border.<\/p>\n

Iraq initially reacted to news of the \u201csecret\u201d base by denying its existence. Then, claims emerged that Iraq had been warned by the US to stay away from an area in southern Iraq in March. There were reports that Iraqis had approached the site, resulting in an airstrike. Rumors on social media claimed an Iraqi shepherd was killed in March.<\/p>\n

This has now led Baghdad to feel it must do something and stage a show of force. The result is that the PMF has pushed to send its forces to southern Iraq<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AA member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) rides in a military vehicle next to a flag during a parade marking the eighth anniversary of defeating Islamic State militants, in Baghdad, Iraq December 10, 2025. (credit: REUTERS\/Ahmed Saad\/File Photo)A show of strength amid sensitive instability<\/p>\n

Ostensibly, the PMF should have already been able to go to this area, so the reports in Iraq are more about portraying the PMF as essential to Iraq\u2019s security.<\/p>\n

This comes amid US pressure to keep the militias and their members out<\/a> of the new government being formed by the prime minister-designate Ali al Zaydi. The new prime minister was chosen two weeks ago after five months of uncertainty following the November 2025 elections. As such, this is a sensitive time for Iraq.<\/p>\n

The Chief of Staff of the Middle Euphrates Operations Command of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Sajjad al-Asadi, announced that the PMF and Iraqi Army operations in the Najaf desert have been launched following reports of a “Zionist-American” airdrop in the area. The official announcement on the PMF\u2019s official web page noted that \u201cAl-Asadi stated that the PMF’s Middle Euphrates, Karbala, and Anbar Operations Commands, along with the 2nd Brigade, are participating in operations to establish control over the Najaf desert from four axes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chief of staff noted that \u201csecurity forces began advancing from the al-Faj checkpoint towards the heart of the Najaf desert along the operation’s axes, explaining that the objective is to establish full control over the Najaf desert and secure the desert and border regions.\u201d This will include an operation over a 120km radius, basically a large circle in southern Iraq. \u201cSecurity forces are carrying out search and sweep operations extending from the cement factory towards Al-Nukhaib, reaching the Arar border crossing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The operation is being covered in Iraqi media such as Shafaq News. Meanwhile, Iraq\u2019s security forces have also claimed they \u201cfound no evidence of foreign troops or military equipment during search operations in the western desert regions, particularly in Karbala and Najaf provinces,\u201d Iraq\u2019s Joint Operations Command confirmed on Sunday, according to Shafaq. This raised questions about why the PMF needs to conduct a new operation. It illustrates how the new operation is more about showing off than about any real need to send units to the desert.<\/p>\n

Iraq\u2019s head of the Security Media Cell, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, \u201cindicated that the incident referenced in recent reports dates back to March 4, 2026, when Iraqi forces stationed east of al-Nukhaib in the Karbala desert clashed with unidentified armed groups supported by air cover, leaving one Iraqi security member dead and two others wounded,\u201d Shafaq said. The fact that this occurred in early March and Iraq has not done anything since then raises questions about what Baghdad knew.<\/p>\n

Iraq\u2019s former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi wrote on X that \u201cif the circulating press reports about the establishment of a secret military base in the Najaf desert are true, then we are faced with a grave breach that undermines Iraq’s sovereignty, necessitating full transparency with the Iraqis about all the facts and a clear assignment of responsibilities without equivocation or justification.\u201d He noted that the state is not enforcing its sovereignty. He added that \u201cprotecting Iraq cannot be achieved through speeches or political promotion campaigns, but rather by building a state that possesses its own decision-making authority, imposes its authority across the entire geography, subjects weapons to the rule of law, and prevents the country from being turned into an open arena for settling regional and international conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kadhimi was known as being close to the US and also angered the Iranian-backed militias when he was in charge. As such, his comments reflect a mainstream Iraqi view.<\/p>\n

Iraqi media and politicians are focused on the new reports. Shafaq, for instance, has published details from Israeli media. Iraqis are fascinated by what is being said abroad. Iraq\u2019s government knows that this could create a crisis, as the government appears weak and incompetent.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, an Iraqi politician has claimed that the base \u201ccamp is still present in western Iraq, noting that Iraqi forces are not allowed to approach it.\u201d Member of Parliament Shaker Abu Turab Al-Tamimi told Shafaq News Agency that “information emerged two months ago regarding the existence of this camp on Iraqi territory\u2026the camp is still there, and Iraqi security forces have not been allowed to approach it.”<\/p>\n

Photos online show the PMF operating in southern Iraq. The reports in Iraq also come as another controversy is boiling on social media. Iraqis have been reporting on an Israeli media report that a reporter for a Jewish religious magazine traveled to Iraq recently. This will also cause Iraqis to spread conspiracies about Israel\u2019s role in the country.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Iraq is also seeking to improve the border crossing with Saudi Arabia. Shafaq noted that \u201con Monday, Shahid Al-Aridhi, the advisor to the governor of Najaf for industry affairs, announced the formation of a committee headed by him to visit the site of the \u00a0Al-Hakim border crossing with Saudi Arabia and the road leading to it, accompanied by the relevant government departments, to see firsthand the reality of the project and the requirements for its implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the wake of the Wall Street Journal report about a \u201csecret Israeli base\u201d set up in Iraq…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[1711,34,94,363,364],"class_list":{"0":"post-109987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iraq","8":"tag-baghdad","9":"tag-iran","10":"tag-iraq","11":"tag-kataib-hezbollah","12":"tag-popular-mobilization-forces-pmf"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116561345539986656","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}