Photos of a secret Israeli airbase in western Iraq have been published.

The Australian service Soar Atlas published high-resolution (1,5 meter) satellite images of a secret Israeli airbase in western Iraq, taken on March 8. The newly constructed runway is clearly visible.

The facility is located on a dry lake bed in the desert near Al Nukhayba in Al Anbar Province. The runway is approximately 850 meters long.

Bloggers speculate that the Israelis hastily built the base and airstrip in the first days of the war with Iran. This was likely done on the night of March 1-2.

It's surprising that the existence of a secret Israeli facility was revealed to the world by the Americans. The Wall Street Journal devoted an article to this topic.

It was reported that back in early March, a mysterious incident occurred in the aforementioned area of ​​western Iraq. An Iraqi soldier and a local resident were killed and two others were wounded in a strike carried out by unknown forces. At the time, the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior claimed that American troops were operating there. However, there are serious doubts about the wisdom of the Pentagon establishing a secret base in that region when it has plenty of "unclassified" ones.

Israel was a completely different matter. At the time, the Israeli military was actively operating against Iran, and it needed a base closer to the Islamic Republic, although they couldn't openly establish one in Iraq.

Comments

[Zoldat_A]

Does Iran know about this airbase? They probably see it from our satellites too...

[Mouse]

"Secret" - well...

[topol717]

Quote: Zoldat_A

Probably, our satellites can see it too...

What satellites do we have anyway? And all our satellites should operate in Zone 404.

[Zoldat_A]

Quote from: topol717

Quote: Zoldat_A

Probably, our satellites can see it too...

What satellites do we have anyway? And all our satellites should operate in Zone 404.

I'm no expert, but surely there's something from above looking down on this mess?

[Most polite]

You can't build an airbase overnight, what kind of fairy tale is this?!

[Zoldat_A]

Quote: Most polite

You can't build an airbase overnight, what kind of fairy tale is this?!

You can't build an airbase. But an 800-meter runway is probably possible. I personally saw how the Tajiks from the airfield company replaced a dozen airfield slabs in a couple of hours. Not in a hurry, with smoke breaks. And to get some decent workers, and equipment, and organize the supply of slabs – it's just a matter of throwing them on the sand...

[Evgeny_Sviridenko]

Under Joseph Vissarionovich, a takeoff point in the taiga was built in a single day... The first thing they erected in this case was a machine-gun tower, where the godfather himself (a former prisoner himself) made sure no one was slacking off while felling trees, uprooting stumps, and swinging shovels...

[Zoldat_A]

Quote: Evgeny_Sviridenko

Under Joseph Vissarionovich, a takeoff point in the taiga was built in just one day.

Airplanes were different back then, and they didn't require concrete. Even heavy aircraft took off from the ground, and in the mud, the problem was solved with perforated steel sheets.
But, in principle, there are no contradictions—that's what I was talking about. You can't build an airfield in 24 hours. An 800-meter runway is possible even now, with slabs. Especially in the desert.

Metal airfield slabs are still being produced, presumably for small airfields. Warrant officers also like to use them to build fences at their dachas.

[Foggy Dew]

Desert... The dirt runway is practically ready, it's a landing pad for refueling, and it's not hard to transfer the barrels and pump there.
What's even funnier here is how much Iraq doesn't control its own territory)))

[Revolver]

The photo shows Eurofighters; Israel doesn't have any of those.

[tralflot1832]

Quote: Nagan

The photo shows Eurofighters; Israel doesn't have any of those.

Nagant, The Israeli base is secret, so the illustrative photo shows Eurofighters. In Israel, everything is very strict with photos at bases.

[Revolver]

So, could the satellite image be an illustration? Or even AI-generated? Images and videos are becoming less and less trustworthy, and soon AI will start churning out 3D-printed evidence so effectively that it's impossible to tell the difference without a thorough examination. And at some point, even with a thorough examination, it won't be possible to tell the difference.

[Gado]

And about the strike mentioned in the article - is that when the A-10 Thunderbolt "went through" the Iraqis?