Israel secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during its war with Iran as part of a covert network of sites spanning multiple countries, CNN reported Friday, citing four sources familiar with the matter. The forces operated out of several locations in southern Azerbaijan, adjacent to Iran’s northern border and, at the closest point, only about 60 miles from the Iranian city of Tabriz, which Israel struck during the war.

The Azerbaijan sites were among numerous covert military positions in multiple countries, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Somaliland, the sources said. Together, the deployments placed Israeli forces along Iran’s southern, western, and northern periphery, extending the military’s reach by hundreds of miles into Iranian territory and helping Israel sustain repeated waves of strikes across the country.

The Azerbaijan operation consisted of several dozen troops, including members of Israel’s special operations forces, its elite heliborne combat and rescue force, and Mossad personnel. Commando units carried out intelligence-gathering missions and drone operations, giving Israel a valuable perch from which to see into northern Iran. The forces were initially planned as potential rescue teams in the event of an emergency, but expanded in scope to become military and intelligence-gathering positions.

Two sources told the network that Israel began laying the groundwork for operations along the Azerbaijan-Iran border as early as January, installing intelligence-gathering equipment and surveillance devices that could monitor Iranian military activity and potentially provide early warning of missile launches. Israel initially intended to carry out the operation under cover of broader strikes planned for mid-January, which were called off by U.S. President Donald Trump after Iran agreed to halt a crackdown on mass protests, but Israel proceeded with aspects of the covert operation independently.

One of the key operations launched from Azerbaijan, according to one source, was the assassination of Rahman Moghdam, the IRGC’s special operations chief.

In Somaliland, the self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa that Israel formally recognized in December, Israeli forces gained access to facilities that could support long-range operations and serve as a staging point for aircraft flying to and from Iran.

Israel also maintained two covert facilities in Iraq that supported logistical operations and search-and-rescue missions, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and deployed an Iron Dome battery and air defense crew to the UAE, as first reported by Axios.

Both countries linked to the report pushed back. A spokesperson for the Azerbaijani embassy in Washington rejected claims regarding “the alleged use of Azerbaijan’s territory for operations against third countries.” The Iraqi army asserted there were no “unauthorized bases or forces” in the country.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)