Authorities in Azerbaijan said Friday they had thwarted a series of Iranian-backed terror plots targeting Jewish and Israeli sites in the capital, including the Embassy of Israel in Baku, a shul, and prominent Jewish community figures.

In a video statement, Azerbaijan’s State Security Service of Azerbaijan said it had “prevented terrorist acts and intelligence operations” allegedly organized by Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Officials said at least seven Azerbaijani nationals had been detained in connection with the alleged plots.

According to the security service, the planned attacks extended beyond Jewish and diplomatic targets. Authorities said the conspirators had also sought to sabotage the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline—a critical energy corridor running through Georgia and Turkey that carries roughly a third of Israel’s oil imports.

The claims come amid rising fears that the expanding war between Israel, the United States and Iran could spill into neighboring regions. The conflict has already drawn in countries across the Middle East and beyond.

Just a day before announcing the alleged terror plot, Azerbaijan accused Iran of launching drones into its territory near the border region of Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran.

Azerbaijani officials said at least four drones crossed the border. One reportedly struck an airport while another exploded near a school, wounding four people.

President Ilham Aliyev condemned the incident as “terrorism” and warned that Azerbaijan could retaliate.

Iran’s armed forces denied responsibility for the drone attacks and instead blamed Israel.

Israel has warned of “concrete threats” of Iranian attacks against Israeli civilians and diplomatic missions worldwide, prompting many countries to tighten security around Jewish institutions.

Azerbaijan’s Jewish community—estimated at between 7,000 and 10,000 people—has historically maintained close ties with the government and the country’s relationship with Israel.

Amid the escalating tensions, Azerbaijan announced it is withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran. Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said the evacuation would apply to both Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Tabriz.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)