Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) established covert cells inside Iraq that were used to launch drone attacks against Gulf nations hosting American military bases, according to a Reuters report published Friday citing Iraqi sources familiar with the matter.

The report claims that between three and four secret cells operated in Iraq, each consisting of roughly 10 Iraqi Shiite fighters. According to the sources, the cells launched at least seven drone attacks against Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates from desert areas near Basra and Samawah in southeastern Iraq between April 20 and May 17.

Several members of the cells were reportedly recruited from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization comprising multiple Iran-backed Shiite militias that form part of Tehran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance.” However, the sources said the terrorists functioned outside the group’s normal chain of command and instead received orders directly from the IRGC.

The revelations suggest that Iran relied on a parallel and highly compartmentalized network to conduct attacks while limiting direct links to its established proxy organizations.

The report comes amid continued scrutiny of Iraq’s role during the recent conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Iraq’s strategic location and proximity to both Iran and the Gulf states have made it a key arena for regional military and intelligence activity.

Separately, reports during the conflict indicated that Israel also utilized Iraqi territory as part of its operations against Iran. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Israel established a secret base deep in the Iraqi desert prior to the campaign against Iran. The facility was reportedly located about 180 kilometers west of Najaf and roughly 400 kilometers from Iran, near the Saudi border, and was used to support Israeli air operations.

The Reuters report sheds new light on the extent to which Iraqi territory may have been used by multiple actors during the regional confrontation, underscoring the country’s continuing role as a critical battleground in the broader struggle between Iran and its adversaries.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)