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The Iraqi Joint Operations Command's Security Media Cell clarified that no unauthorized bases or forces exist on Iraqi soil, including in the Karbala and Najaf desert areas, but confirmed a March 5 clash with "unidentified, unauthorized armed groups supported by aircraft."
It was earlier reported that there was an Israeli forward base set up in the desert area of Karbala and Najaf to support military activities in their operations against Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) launched a large-scale military sweep across the same desert region under an operation named "Establishing Sovereignty."
The Security Media Cell said in a statement Monday evening that it was "closely monitoring reports and statements regarding the presence of unauthorized bases and forces on Iraqi territory, specifically in the desert of Karbala, east of Nukhayb and Najaf."
It confirmed that on March 5, Iraqi security forces from the Karbala and Najaf operations commands engaged with armed groups that were supported by aircraft, a clash that left one Iraqi security member dead, two wounded, and a military vehicle disabled.
"Our security forces were determined to reach this area and its surroundings, to maintain pressure and presence there, which forced the unauthorized detachments to leave and withdraw," the statement said, adding that Iraqi forces continue to search the desert areas up to the international border "on a regular basis."
The statement stressed that "there have been no unauthorized bases or forces on Iraqi territory throughout the period in question."
Alongside or shortly after the denial, the PMF—an umbrella organization of mostly Iran-backed armed groups formally incorporated into the Iraqi state in 2016—announced a four-axis military operation in the Najaf and Karbala deserts, according to state news agency INA.
PMF Central Euphrates Operations Commander Maj. Gen. Ali al-Hamdani stated that the operation aims to secure the Karbala-al-Nukhayb road. He noted it is being conducted under direct orders from Iraq's commander-in-chief and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah.
Participating units included the PMF Central Euphrates Operations Command, the Karbala Operations Command, the Anbar Operations Command, and the PMF 2nd Brigade.
Forces conducted search operations to a depth of 70 kilometers "in accordance with pre-determined military plans and at a high level of professionalism," Hamdani said.
The operation followed public calls in Iraq to expose any foreign military activity in desert regions near the Saudi Arabian border, following a WSJ report.
The PMF, while formally subordinate to the Iraqi state, is known for the autonomous operations of its Iran-aligned constituent factions.
A senior Iraqi security official had separately told the Anadolu Agency on Sunday that the WSJ report of a secret Israeli logistics hub was inaccurate, calling it "false."
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