According to the report, the installation was built shortly before the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran and operated with Washington’s knowledge. The base allegedly housed Israeli special forces personnel and functioned as a logistical and rescue hub for Israeli air operations targeting Iran.The Wall Street Journal said the site included search-and-rescue teams intended to recover Israeli pilots in the event aircraft were downed during missions over Iranian territory.

Reuters could not independently verify the report, and there was no immediate comment from Prime Minister’s Office of Israel following a request for response.The newspaper reported that the clandestine facility narrowly escaped discovery in early March after Iraqi state media cited a local shepherd reporting unusual military activity, including helicopter movements, in a remote desert area.

Iraqi security forces were subsequently dispatched to investigate, the report said, but Israeli forces launched airstrikes to prevent troops from approaching the site closely enough to expose the operation.The Wall Street Journal cited one source as saying the strikes were intended solely to keep Iraqi personnel at a distance from the outpost.

The report further stated that Iraq later filed a complaint with the United Nations alleging that foreign forces had conducted airstrikes on Iraqi territory and attributing the attack to the United States. However, the newspaper cited a person familiar with the matter who said American forces were not involved in the operation.

The alleged operation underscores the widening regional dimensions of the conflict between Israel and Iran, which has increasingly drawn neighboring states and strategic transit corridors into the confrontation.Iraq has repeatedly sought to avoid becoming a direct battleground in regional conflicts involving Iran, the United States and Israel, while balancing ties with Washington and Tehran amid persistent security pressures.

Vladimir region governor Alexander Avdeev said on Telegram that “enemy drones attacked civilian infrastructure,” adding that two adults and their seven-year-old son were killed when a drone struck a residential building.

He said a five-year-old girl was hospitalized with burns.Russian officials said the scale of aerial activity was among the largest reported in recent months, with air defence systems engaged across multiple regions.

Some of the drones were approaching Moscow, leading aviation authorities to briefly suspend operations at the capital’s airports as a precautionary measure.No immediate comment was issued by Ukrainian authorities regarding the reported strikes.

Both sides have intensified drone warfare as part of the broader conflict, frequently targeting infrastructure and logistical nodes.

The incident underscores the continued expansion of aerial attacks beyond frontline areas, with civilian regions increasingly affected as both Russia and Ukraine deploy long-range unmanned systems.

In a statement, the Israeli military said the target was located within the compound of Imam Hossein University, which it identified as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ primary military academic institution and an emergency support asset for Iran’s armed forces.

The Israeli military said it carried out multiple strikes on infrastructure within the university complex in recent days, aiming to degrade Iran’s weapons production and development capabilities.

According to the statement, the strikes destroyed underground wind tunnels, a chemistry centre, and a technology and engineering facility linked to a mechanics and development group, all of which Israel said were used in weapons research.

Israel described the university as a central component of the IRGC’s military infrastructure. The institution has previously been visited by senior Iranian officials, including former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

There was no immediate confirmation or response from Iranian authorities regarding the reported strike or the extent of damage.

Zelensky said on X that he had instructed Ukraine’s intelligence chief to brief Kyiv’s international partners on the reported plans, which he described as part of Moscow’s continued use of Belarusian territory and occupied areas of Ukraine to support drone operations.

In his nightly video address, Zelensky said the intelligence indicated Russia intends to build additional ground control stations to enhance long-range drone capabilities. He added that Belarus had previously played a role in amplifying the impact of Russian strikes earlier in the conflict, before Ukraine took countermeasures.

“We now have information from our intelligence that Russia intends to continue using the territory of Belarus and temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine to build ground control stations for long-range drones,” he said.

Zelensky warned that Ukraine would respond to any such developments. “There will be responses to this. And they will be felt,” he said, without providing details.

The Belarusian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.