Newsletters
Iraq will not allow its territory to become a passageway or launchpad for attacks against other countries, a military spokesman said Sunday.
The statement came as the New York Times (NYT) confirmed that Israel had operated at least two covert military facilities in Iraq's western desert for over a year to support operations against Iran, including refueling, air support, and medical services.
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that Baghdad's policy was grounded in avoiding regional and international conflicts to preserve domestic stability.
"Restricting weapons to state control remains a key pillar of the government's security strategy and a necessary step toward ending armed activity outside the legal framework," Numan said.
He stressed that Iraq would not allow other countries to interfere in its internal affairs and that the country sought to protect itself from the security and political fallout of regional crises.
The statement followed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's pledge to place all weapons under state control as part of a broader reform program after winning parliament's confidence, a commitment that directly addresses the Iran-aligned militia groups whose disarmament Washington has demanded.
The NYT reported Sunday, citing Iraqi and regional officials, that Israel had built and operated two covert facilities in Iraq's western desert for more than a year, used for air support, refueling, and medical treatment, including during the 12-day war against Iran in June 2025.
The sites came to light after shepherd Awad al-Shammari encountered military activity near al-Nukhaib in March, alerted local authorities, and was later found dead. Iraqi forces sent to investigate the sites came under fire, with one soldier killed and two wounded.
A senior Iraqi security official had earlier dismissed Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporting on the first base as "false," telling Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) that Iraqi forces had "confronted a mysterious airborne operation in the al-Nukhaib desert area" and that the incident had been handled at the time.
The NYT's subsequent reporting, citing senior Iraqi officials, contradicted that characterization and confirmed the existence of a second, previously undisclosed base.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
