According to a report by CNN on Friday, June 5, 2026, Israel sent special military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during its war with Iran to operate from covert bases near the Iranian border as part of a regional network.
CNN said on Friday that Israeli forces were active from numerous places in southern Azerbaijan, some 60 miles (97 kilometres) from Tabriz, which was hit during the fighting, citing four sources.
It was reported that special operations forces, helicopter-borne rescue and combat groups, and Mossad operatives were deployed. The sources said the personnel collected intelligence, operated drones, and prepared for rescue missions of downed Israeli planes over Iranian land.
Azerbaijan was reportedly part of a regional network of clandestine stations in Iraq, the UAE, and Somaliland.
However, Azerbaijan strongly denies the allegations. An Azerbaijani embassy official in Washington said, “We firmly reject unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan’s territory for operations against third countries.”
The IDF and Office of the Israeli Prime Minister did not respond to the report.
CNN said that Israeli planners initially constructed several stations as emergency contingency and rescue sites before adding intelligence collection and operational support during the fight.
Among the reported places was Somaliland, a Horn of Africa republic. The research suggests the location was a logistics halt for Israeli planes doing long-range missions to Iran.
The article also mentioned Israeli military sites in Iraq and the deployment of an Iron Dome air defence system to the UAE during high tensions.
If validated, the network would suggest an enlarged Israeli operational footprint throughout numerous Middle Eastern and surrounding countries during the Iran crisis, potentially affecting neighbouring governments.
Israel and Azerbaijan have traditionally cooperated on security and energy, the paper noted. Israel imports Azerbaijani oil and provides advanced military technologies, making the alliance one of the region’s largest defence collaborations.
CNN analysts say this cooperation has given Israel strategic advantages in monitoring Iranian operations and given Azerbaijan stronger security cooperating against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israeli and Azerbaijani officials have not officially disclosed military collaboration linked to the Iran conflict beyond their defence and intelligence connection.
The claim follows a drone incident in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave during the conflict, which strained relations with Iran.
Iranian drones entered Azerbaijan on March 5, wounding multiple individuals near vital civilian infrastructure, officials claimed. President Ilham Aliyev called the incident a “terrorist act,” alerting the military and seeking an apology from Tehran.
Tensions between Baku and Tehran have been high for years due to Azerbaijan’s tight security partnership with Israel and regional rivalry.
Israel was one of the first countries to acknowledge Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapse d, and the two have since cooperated in defence, intelligence, and energy.
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