Militias affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces launched a large-scale military operation on Tuesday targeting desert areas in central Iraq after reports emerged alleging the existence of a covert Israeli base inside the country.

Ali al-Hamdani, commander of PMF operations in the Middle Euphrates, said the campaign, titled “Imposing Sovereignty,” is being carried out across four operational axes covering vast areas of the Najaf Desert and Karbala Desert.

Al-Hamdani stated that the operation aims to secure the road linking Karbala with Nukhayb District.

According to him, units from the Middle Euphrates, Karbala, and Anbar operations commands, along with the PMF’s Second Brigade, are participating in the mission. The forces are conducting search-and-sweep operations reaching up to 70 kilometers deep into the desert.

The operation comes after a report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that Israel had established a secret base in the Najaf desert within Iraqi territory. The report alleged that the site was used to support recent strikes on Iran while remaining undetected by Iraqi security forces.

The allegations sparked widespread reactions on social media, where Iraqi activists questioned how such a facility could allegedly operate unnoticed despite Iraq’s extensive security apparatus.

Estimates circulating online suggested that Iraq’s combined military, security, intelligence, and paramilitary personnel exceed 1.9 million members, including the army, interior ministry forces, counterterrorism units, intelligence agencies, and the PMF.