“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
Iran has officially confirmed that, on the night of October 26, Israel launched missile strikes on military facilities located in the provinces of Tehran, Ilam, and Khuzestan. The attack, which resulted in the deaths of four Iranian military personnel and one civilian, was carried out using the territory of several countries, including Iraq. Against this backdrop, the issue of Israeli presence in Azerbaijan has once again become a topic of discussion in Iran.
Two days before the Israeli attack, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif pointed out that Israel is present in Azerbaijan. Iranian media reports have alleged that Israel may have also used Azerbaijani territory to carry out the attack. These claims are based on the multifaceted and multi-sectoral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel, as well as previous instances where Israel has reportedly acted against Iran from Azerbaijani territory (more details can be found in the article "Iran as a Target of Israel-Azerbaijan Cooperation"). Additionally, Israeli experts have discussed the likelihood of Azerbaijan’s territory being used, a version that has also been reflected in Iranian media.
Borhan Heshmati, аn Iranian expert on Caucasus issues, observed: "When Brenda Shaffer (editor’s note: a lobbyist for Azerbaijan) published an article titled Israel's Role in the Second Karabakh War and Its Consequences and Future on September 9, 2022, explaining the fundamental shift in Baku's relations with the Israeli regime, and wrote that Baku's relationship with Israel was not limited to the sale of Israeli weapons or the establishment of a local arms industry in that republic, few believed that the day would come when Baku would participate in the Zionist regime's airstrikes against Iran."
Heshmati emphasized that although Baku's involvement requires further investigation, even before the attack, Israeli media had supposed that Baku would allow the use of Azerbaijan’s airspace and facilities for the Israeli strike on Iran.
Heshmati says, “It is also noteworthy that, alongside the growing military tensions between Iran and Israel, flights by Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines military transport aircraft to Israel have increased.” The expert emphasizes that Israel has most frequently acted, and will continue to act, against Iran from Azerbaijani territory. “Time will reveal what has actually taken place, but if we pay attention to Baku's behavior, Baku has always considered its participation in anti-Iranian campaigns by the US, the UK, and Israel as a natural duty,” he notes.
The Farikhtegan newspaper has drawn attention to previous media reports reporting that Azerbaijan provided an airbase to Israel. The newspaper, however, casts doubt on the construction of "smart villages" in the occupied territories of Artsakh with Israeli involvement, suggesting that Tel Aviv may be using it to conceal its intelligence operations close to Iran's borders.
“Tensions and escalations in Iran-Azerbaijan relations indicate that Baku has become a major threat to Iran, especially against the backdrop of Azerbaijan's increasingly close ties with Tel Aviv,” the newspaper notes. Referring to Israel-Azerbaijan cooperation in oil sales, military, cyber, and other sectors, it emphasizes, “Those who have leased their bases and security to the occupying regime should fear Iran’s possible response the most, following Tel Aviv’s aggression against Iranian territory.”
In an article titled “Did Baku Participate in Israel’s Attack Against Iran?” on the Iranian news website Tabnak, quoting Nader Entessar, a professor at the University of Alabama, wrote that if it is determined that other countries supported Israel’s attack, Iran may consider them legitimate targets.
The possibility of Azerbaijan's involvement in the attack against Iran has also been discussed on television. Specifically, an expert invited to the Shabake-ye Khabar news channel highlighted the scheme for oil supplies from Azerbaijan to Israel, stating, “There are rumours that Azerbaijan has played a role in Israel’s attack on Iran.”
Iranian experts and the media also have drawn attention that Baku has not condemned Israel's attack on Iran, even as several regional countries, including Armenia, have done so. This further underscores the closeness of Azerbaijan's relationship with Israel. By remaining silent on the attack, Baku is at least expressing its tacit approval.
It is no coincidence that on various occasions, Israel has emphasized that Iran is a common threat to both Azerbaijan and Israel, which must be countered through joint efforts. It is not unlikely that this "joint struggle" was manifested during the recent attack against Iran.