Iranian Analyst Claims Israel Used Azerbaijani Territory to Launch Attacks on Iran

TEHRAN — Since Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran, several Iranian analysts and experts have alleged that the Israeli government used Azerbaijani territory to carry out some of the airstrikes.

One such analyst, Ehsan Movahedian—a South Caucasus expert and international relations scholar at Tehran’s Allameh Tabataba’i University (ATU)—told Armenpress that he has evidence supporting claims that Israel utilized Azerbaijani soil for its operations.

He cited eyewitness reports of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) entering Iranian airspace from Azerbaijan.

“Many analysts and military insiders emphasize that Israel has used Azerbaijani territory to launch drones and attack targets in Iran. Iranian air defenses in Bandar Anzali, located on the Caspian Sea coast, also intercepted a number of small drones two nights ago. Eyewitnesses in Parsabad, Moghan reported seeing drones crossing the border from the Republic of Azerbaijan into Iran. The F-35 fighter that targeted Iranian state television also attempted to cross the border near Julfa,” Movahedian stated in written comments.

According to Movahedian, Israel is allegedly using both mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan exclave as operational bases.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Movahedian shared images of what he described as a jettisoned fuel tank from an Israeli fighter jet found on the shore of the Caspian Sea in Ramsar, Iran. He commented, “One might ask—Israel is located to the west of Iran, so what is this doing in the north? The answer lies in Baku, which has become the second branch of the Zionist regime in the region. Once the issue of the Israeli regime is addressed, the evil of Baku must be dealt with as well.”

On June 14, during a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov denied the allegations, stating that Baku would not allow its territory to be used for attacks on Iran.