CNN: Israel Secretly Operated Military, Intelligence Bases in Azerbaijan

Israel is said to have secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during its war with Iran, operating from positions near the Iranian border as part of a broader network of covert sites across the Middle East.

According to CNN on Friday, citing four sources familiar with the matter, Israeli forces operated from several locations in southern Azerbaijan, some as close as 60 miles (97 kilometers) from the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, which was targeted during the conflict.

The deployment reportedly included special operations forces, members of Israel’s elite heliborne combat and rescue units, and Mossad personnel. Sources told CNN the teams conducted intelligence-gathering missions, drone operations, and maintained positions that could support rescue missions in the event Israeli aircraft were downed over Iran.

The Azerbaijani operation was one element of a wider network of covert military sites that reportedly extended into Iraq, the UAE and Somaliland.

However, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s embassy in Washington rejected the allegations.

“We firmly reject unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan’s territory for operations against third countries,” the embassy said in a statement to CNN.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Israel Defense Forces did not comment on the report.

CNN says covert network extended across Middle East

According to CNN, Israeli military planners initially envisioned some of the sites as emergency rescue positions but later expanded their role to include intelligence collection and operational support.

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One reported location was in Somaliland, a self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa. A source told CNN the site could have served as a logistical stop for Israeli aircraft conducting long-range missions toward Iran.

The report also cited previously disclosed Israeli facilities in Iraq and the deployment of an Iron Dome air defense battery to the UAE during the conflict.

The covert positions extended Israel’s reach deep into the region and exposed the extent to which neighboring states were drawn into the conflict, knowingly or otherwise.

Azerbaijan long viewed as strategic partner

CNN reported that Israel had spent months preparing intelligence infrastructure along the Azerbaijan-Iran border before the outbreak of hostilities.

According to sources cited by the network, Israeli operatives installed surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment near the frontier in early 2026, reflecting Israeli concerns that diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran would ultimately fail.

The report also highlighted the longstanding strategic relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan. Baku supplies a significant share of Israel’s oil imports, while Israel has become one of Azerbaijan’s key suppliers of advanced military equipment.

Analysts cited by CNN said the partnership provides Israel with a valuable platform for monitoring Iranian activities and offers Azerbaijan security cooperation against what it sees as destabilizing actions by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Neither Israel nor Azerbaijan has publicly acknowledged any military cooperation related to the war with Iran beyond their existing defense relationship.

The report comes amid heightened tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran following a drone incident in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave during the Israel-Iran war.

Azerbaijani authorities said Iranian drones crossed into the territory on March 5, injuring four people near an airport and a school. President Ilham Aliyev described the incident as a “terrorist act,” placed the military on high alert and demanded an apology from Tehran.

Relations between Baku and Tehran have remained strained for years, partly because of Azerbaijan’s close ties with Israel.

Israel was among the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the two countries have developed extensive defense, intelligence and energy cooperation since.