Elite Israeli troops were deployed to Azerbaijan in a secret mission during the recent war with Iran, CNN reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, several dozen elite troops and Mossad agents were stationed at various points along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, including some 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) from Tabriz, in northwestern Iran.
The troops deployed to Azerbaijan were initially intended to serve as an emergency rescue team in the event of Israeli planes being downed over Iran, CNN reports, but the mission was expanded to include intelligence-gathering and drone operations that allowed Israel to expand the reach and scope of its offensive.
One of the most significant operations launched by Israel from within Azerbaijan was the killing of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Special Operations Division, Rahman Moqadam, CNN reports.
Moqadam was responsible for recruiting and training operatives both inside and outside of Iran, and asked them to gather intelligence on Israeli political leaders, security officials, Israeli and Western military installations, ports, and Israeli ships around the world.
The Azerbaijani embassy in the US tells CNN that it rejects “unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan’s territory for operations against third countries.”
Meanwhile, the sources tell CNN that Israel also set up a military position in Somaliland that would allow Israeli aircraft to refuel while en route to Iran.
Israel recognized Somaliland in December and is the only country to date to have done so.
The report comes after The New York Times reported last month that Israel built two covert bases in Iraq to help in its wars against the Islamic Republic.
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