Tehran Urges Baku to Investigate Reports Israel Used Azerbaijani Airspace to Bomb Iran

Azerbaijan has long been known as a ‘pillar’ of Israel’s regional security architecture and a hub for Mossad operatives. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Azerbaijan to investigate reports that Israeli drones and micro aerial vehicles used its airspace during recent attacks on Iran. In a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on…

Azerbaijan has long been known as a ‘pillar’ of Israel’s regional security architecture and a hub for Mossad operatives.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Azerbaijan to investigate reports that Israeli drones and micro aerial vehicles used its airspace during recent attacks on Iran.

In a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on 27 June, Pezeshkian requested clarification and verification regarding the alleged airspace violation by the “Zionist regime.”

According to Pezeshkian’s official website, he expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani people and government for their solidarity during the Israeli assault but emphasized the seriousness of the allegations.

“Attacking nuclear facilities is a crime against humanity, even during war,” Pezeshkian said, criticizing both Israel’s actions and the international community’s silence. “The United Nations failed to condemn the aggression, and the United States, while denying involvement, bombed our nuclear sites on the eighth day of the war.”

The Iranian president reaffirmed that Iran seeks peaceful relations with its neighbors and respects their sovereignty. He stated that he had personally contacted regional leaders to reiterate Iran’s commitment to peace and stability.

Aliyev, in response, rejected the allegations that Israeli aircraft used Azerbaijani airspace, stating that “Azerbaijan has full control over its skies” and would not permit any use of its airspace for attacks against Iran. He described Iran as a “friendly and brotherly” nation and welcomed the current ceasefire.

However, Israeli media reports on the same day cited an unnamed defense official claiming Israeli forces had operated in a country “close” to Iran during the recent conflict. While no country was named, the report reignited longstanding Iranian concerns over Azerbaijan’s close ties with Israel.

Azerbaijan and Israel have grown increasingly aligned in recent years. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), nearly 70 percent of Azerbaijan’s major arms imports from 2016 to 2020 came from Israel.

Baku also supplies 50 percent of Israel’s oil, even increasing exports despite calls to boycott Tel Aviv over its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

In 2023, Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Tel Aviv, further straining relations with Tehran.

Earlier this year, the Begin-Sadat Center for International Studies observed that Azerbaijan has long been known as one of the “pillars” of Israel’s regional security architecture and a base for Israeli intelligence operations.

The center noted that in 2012, the Times of London reported that dozens of Israeli intelligence operatives were active in Azerbaijan, citing a Mossad operative.

“If Israeli jets want to land in Azerbaijan after an attack [on Iran], they’d probably be allowed to do so. Israel is deeply embedded in Azerbaijan and has been for the last two decades,” Foreign Policy Magazine reported the same year.

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