Iran launches large military exercise as Tehran becomes increasingly concerned Israel is spying from across the Azeri border
Late in September Iran decided to hold its largest military exercise in two decades on its border with Azerbaijan setting the Azeri military on high alert and launching a ripple wave of concern through Turkey, Russia and south to Israel.
But this Iranian display of artillery, drones and helicopters seems to be less about Azerbaijan and more about Israel. While Baku and Tehran have historically maintained good relations, Iran is becoming concerned with an apparent Israeli presence in Azerbaijan.
“We have reminded our colleagues in Baku of this issue, and they said overtly and covertly that they would give warnings. Baku should not allow third parties to use its borders and territories,” Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said today.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had a similar message for Azerbaijan’s ambassador on Sept. 30.
“We do not tolerate the presence and activity against our national security of the Zionist regime next to our borders and will take any necessary action in this regard,” he said.
Though Azerbaijan is a Shiite Muslim country with a dubious human rights record, Israel has long been selling the country weapons. In fact, Israeli drones played a big factor in Azerbaijan’s destructive war against Armenia last year. Even during the height of COVID when civilian flights into Israel were limited, four Azeri cargo planes were jetting from Tel Aviv to Baku and sometimes to Ankara as fighting broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper.
But what concerns Iran more is that, according to several reports, Azerbaijan is allowing Israel to use land and airspace to possibly spy on and launch attacks against Iran.
“Moreover, according to foreign sources, the Mossad established a station in Azerbaijan, serving as the ‘eyes, ears and a springboard’ for monitoring Iran,” Haaretz, a Hebrew-language Israeli newspaper, reported.
Iran has accused Israel of attacking its nuclear program and its military presence in Syria and Lebanon. The past two Israeli prime ministers have both said they will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and many attacks that have occurred in Iran including the assassination of the nation’s top nuclear scientist a year ago have been blamed on Israel.
Iran is also said to be upset with restrictions and fees imposed upon its truck drivers crossing from Iran to Armenia.
“The representative of Chaldean Assyrians in the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran said that the ‘Conquerors of Khaybar’ military drills in northwest Iran were a clear message to the Israeli regime and the ISIS,” according to Islamic Republic News Agency “In an interview with IRNA on Monday, Shaarli Anouyeh Tekyeh said that the Army’s drill along the northwestern borders of Iran was a display of power indicating Iran’s preparedness to thwart any aggression through borders.”
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