Are there Israeli military forces in Azerbaijan, and could Iran strike them? A comment from Baku
Azerbaijan between Iran and Israel
Recently, Israeli state television channel 11KAN reported that the Israeli military leadership had ordered its personnel, who for some reason were in Georgia and Azerbaijan, to leave these countries. The British publication The Telegraph subsequently reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had suggested striking secret Israeli bases in neighboring countries.
This series of news has raised two serious questions:
- Are there Israeli military forces stationed in Azerbaijan and Georgia?
- And could Iran actually strike these neighboring countries?
Azerbaijani political analysts believe that there are no Israeli military forces in Azerbaijan and that these statements are provocations intended to draw the South Caucasus countries into the Middle Eastern conflict.
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What happened?
On Monday, August 12, 11KAN reported that the Israeli military leadership had ordered its personnel to leave Georgia and Azerbaijan. However, neither the Israeli military press office nor other Israeli media have referenced the actual order.
Several Israeli media outlets contacted the Israeli military press office for clarification but did not receive a clear response.
The Israeli military press office provided a brief reply to the Israeli site Vesty.co.il: “The Israel Defense Forces continually assesses the situation and updates information about the countries where soldiers are permitted entry.”
In other words, the military neither confirmed nor denied the information from 11KAN.
In response to a query from the Azerbaijani news agency Turan, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan stated that they had no comment on the matter. The official Baku authorities have also not yet commented on the information from the Israeli site.
Indirect denial in Azerbaijan
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan Media Development Agency has issued a statement noting:
“Recently, media outlets in certain countries, citing sources of questionable reliability, have spread misinformation about Azerbaijan that does not reflect reality and is aimed at misleading both the local and international public.”
The statement specifically mentions the channels Iran International, The Telegraph, and 11KAN.
“We declare that there are no foreign military contingents in Azerbaijan and firmly condemn the manipulation of information based on false data,” the statement reads.
It is noteworthy that the British publication The Telegraph, citing its own sources, reported that “IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) generals insist on direct strikes against Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, with a focus on military bases to avoid civilian casualties. However, newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian has suggested targeting secret Israeli bases in neighboring countries.“
Meanwhile, the United States has stated that Israel could be subjected to an attack by Iran this week.
“Azerbaijan is not a battleground for other countries’ conflicts”
The increasing tension in the Middle East has inevitably impacted the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, notes Elhan Shahinoglu, head of the Atlas Research Center:
“If the Iranian president suggested attacking Israeli positions in neighboring countries, he’d mention Azerbaijan, implying a planned attack on the Israeli embassy in our country. If Tehran seeks to implement such a plan, it would automatically escalate tensions in Azerbaijani-Iranian relations.
Azerbaijan is not a battleground for other countries’ conflicts.”
While discussions on this issue were ongoing, Israel’s state broadcaster Kan aired a report stating that the Israeli military had prohibited its personnel from staying in Azerbaijan and Georgia due to the threat of an Iranian attack.
According to the report, by order of the military leadership, Israelis serving for any reason in these two South Caucasian republics are required to return to their country immediately.
“This is a provocation. There are no Israeli military units or soldiers in Azerbaijan. With this provocative news, Israel’s state television has played into the hands of anti-Azerbaijani conservative circles and SEPAH generals in Iran.
They have been spreading myths about Israeli military presence in Azerbaijan for years. Now they will say, ‘See, even Israel has confirmed it.
Although Azerbaijan is not involved in the Middle Eastern tensions and the Iran-Israel conflict, they want to drag us into the turmoil. In this situation, the importance of Azerbaijan’s strategic alliance with Turkey is once again highlighted,” thinks Elhan Shahinoglu.
“Israel has no need to maintain military bases in Azerbaijan”
This is not the first time Iran has accused Azerbaijan of supporting Zionists and allowing their presence on its territory, noted political analyst Khaleddin Ibrahimli in an interview with Turan:
“However, the fact that this accusation was made by the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is of Turkic descent, suggests that the mullah regime brought him to power to unite the Turkic people around the government.
It seems that having one Turk in the position of Rahbar (Ali Khamenei) was not enough to support the regime; they needed another Turk as president,” says Ibrahimli.
In his view, “the election of a Turkic-descent president in Iran is part of a project with far-reaching goals, and Iran’s stance towards Azerbaijan may become even more radical. Tehran likely assumes that the election of Pezeshkian as president will not provoke a negative reaction neither from the Turkic people nor the Iranian armed forces.”
Ibrahimli also noted that Pezeshkian has not yet denied the report published in The Telegraph:
“Until Pezeshkian denies the claim about the possibility of striking ‘secret Israeli bases in neighboring countries,’ the theory of Iran’s aggressive plans against Azerbaijan will remain relevant.”
Regarding the possibility of Azerbaijan’s cooperation with Israel, Ibrahimli expressed doubt about the existence of Israeli military bases in Azerbaijan.
“Any objective analysis shows that Israel has no need to maintain military bases in Azerbaijan, as Israel does not have significant issues with Iran, contrary to what might appear,” the expert concluded.
