They Raised Its Flag After Karabakh Victories: Why Is ‘Israel’ Supplying Weapons to the Azerbaijanis?
Despite the well-known military support from Turkiye, the Azerbaijani army and people have raised Israeli flags during military parades and in the streets, raising questions about the extent of Israeli support for Baku in its war against Armenia in the Karabakh region.
In the autumn of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of conflict, ending the war with a ceasefire brokered by Russia, followed by talks for normalization of relations.
Azerbaijan achieved this victory with strong support from Turkish Bayraktar drones. However, the raising of Israeli flags alongside Turkish and Azerbaijani flags in September 2023 has sparked questions about Israeli presence.
On September 19, 2023, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced in a statement the launch of an anti-terrorism operation “aimed at establishing constitutional order in the Karabakh region.”
One day later, the Azerbaijani Defense announced that representatives of the Armenian population in Karabakh had submitted a request through Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the region, leading to an agreement to halt Baku’s operation against terrorism in the region.
This also entailed the illegal Armenian armed groups and Armenian armed forces in Karabakh surrendering their weapons and vacating their military positions.
Zionists and Arms
Experts and activists have interpreted the raising of Israeli flags during the celebrations of the residents in the Azerbaijani capital following the victory in Karabakh as a symbol of Azerbaijan’s success in this battle, achieved with Israeli weaponry.
This matter was also highlighted by the Palestinian journalist who monitors Israeli media, Ahmad Darawsha, on X He affirmed that “Israel” has a share in Azerbaijan’s recent victory in Karabakh, so it is obvious for some residents to raise its flags, according to his assessment.
He further mentioned that since the beginning of 2023, 15 transport planes have landed at the Ovda military airport in southern “Israel,” out of 100 flights since 2016, to transport Israeli weapons to Azerbaijan.
The raising of Israeli flags in the predominantly Shia Muslim capital of Baku is related to two significant factors.
Firstly, “Israel” has maintained diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan since 1992, with a focus on the military aspect and supplying Azerbaijani forces with weapons.
This is done by taking advantage of Azerbaijan’s need to liberate its territories occupied by Armenia and separatists in Karabakh.
Secondly, the Israeli Occupation’s attention on Azerbaijan is connected to its pursuit of using the adjacent Azerbaijani territory as a center for espionage on Tehran and as a military base for launching intelligence operations to disrupt Iran’s military factories and nuclear program.
Azerbaijan is home to a substantial Jewish community, with some members having migrated to “Israel,” while others serve as a significant propaganda base for “Tel Aviv” in the country.
This remaining Jewish community in the Caucasus, specifically in Azerbaijan, in an area known as Krasnaya Sloboda (the Red Town), has contributed to strengthening the relationship between the two parties.
During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December 2016, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev praised the active role of the Jewish community living in Azerbaijan in developing bilateral relations between the two countries, according to the Azerbaijani presidential website.
The presence of European Jews who have lived in Azerbaijan, mostly in Baku, since the late 19th century, has contributed to the development of these relations. The Israeli Occupation’s interest in the religious and national presence in Baku is evident through the “Israel in Azerbaijan” group on X.
Military Relations
An investigation conducted by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz on March 6, 2023, revealed that over the past seven years (from 2016 to 2023), 92 cargo flights operated by the Azerbaijani Silk Way Airlines landed at “Israel” Ovda air base.
Ovda is the Israeli Occupation’s only airport through which Israeli weapons can be transported abroad, suggesting that these flights were carrying weapons for Azerbaijan.
It was reported that since March 2023, an additional 11 flights were operated to Azerbaijan, including 5 flights within two weeks, bringing the total to 103 flights over 7 years.
The investigation found that the number of flights increased during periods of conflict with Armenia in Karabakh.
Despite the Israeli Occupation’s strict military export controls, Israeli and foreign media have reported the sale of Israeli drones, suicide drones, ballistic missiles, air defense systems, and electronic warfare technology to Azerbaijan.
A recent report by Haaretz on September 13, 2023, confirmed that Baku had tested an advanced Israeli missile, the Barak-8, a week before the start of its latest military operation to reclaim Karabakh. The number of Israeli weapon shipments also increased with rising tensions in the Karabakh region.
Azerbaijan has entered into several deals with Israeli defense companies, including Soltam Systems for producing mortar shells and launch platforms, Tadiran for providing communication tools, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for selling missile shells.
The Israeli defense industry also sent 100 Merkava tanks and 30 combat aircraft to Azerbaijan. They established a production line for drones, anti-aircraft weapons, and missile defense systems, and the two sides signed an agreement for a joint project to manufacture small drones, with Israeli defense industries owning 51% of the shares.
Atlas Systems, the largest Israeli defense electronics company, opened a massive branch in Baku, equipped to capture high-resolution images in adverse weather conditions and launch a satellite system capable of reaching crucial locations, especially neighboring Iran.
A report by Israel Defense on December 4, 2017, regarding the military partnership between Baku and “Tel Aviv” and its regional security implications, stated that the Jewish state is now one of Azerbaijan’s closest military partners.
It noted that Israel is one of Azerbaijan’s closest military partners and a target for Israeli defense industry exports.
The report further stated that Israeli defense companies were involved in training special forces and personal security for senior Azerbaijani officials, as well as the construction of security systems for Baku airport.
“Israel” also worked to upgrade Azerbaijan’s military equipment from the Soviet era, believing that this country serves as a hub for Israeli intelligence gathering operations against Iran.
As a result of the Israeli undeniable contribution to the Azerbaijani military, some articles, reports, and comments in local media have praised the Azerbaijani–Israeli military partnership.
In exchange for arms deals, reports indicate that 65% of Israeli oil imports come from Azerbaijan, transported via pipelines from Baku to Georgia and southern Turkiye.
Base Against Iran
The secret behind the Israeli Occupation’s keenness to strengthen strategic relations with Azerbaijan and support it in its war against Armenia is its intention to take advantage of Azerbaijan’s extensive 700-kilometer border with Iran, “Israel’s foremost enemy.”
Exploiting these borders, which are difficult to fully control, “Israel” seeks to use them as a means to infiltrate spies into Iran for conducting assassination and sabotage operations against the Islamic Republic’s facilities.
For example, in 2018, Mossad (Israeli external intelligence agency) carried out an attack near Tehran to steal nuclear archives, with elements believed to have crossed from Azerbaijan into Iran.
“Israel” aims to establish Azerbaijan as an advanced military base for its operations, aiming to establish permanent military bases there to address technological and logistical challenges in case it decides to launch aerial attacks deep into Iran.
Foreign reports have indicated that Azerbaijan allowed Mossad to establish an advanced base on its territory to monitor events in Iran.
Azerbaijan prepared an airport dedicated to assisting “Israel” in the event of an attack on Iranian nuclear sites.
In April 2012, Foreign Policy published a report suggesting that “Israel” has found a foothold in Azerbaijan’s airbases, bringing it closer to the possibility of striking Iran from this country’s borders.
Following the release of the Foreign Policy report, WikiLeaks published a cable dated 2009 from the U.S. diplomatic mission in Baku to Washington about Azerbaijani–Israeli covert cooperation.
In a document published by Haaretz in 2012, it was stated that “Israel” uses Azerbaijani territory for spying on Iran.
In 2012, The Times published a report that included the testimony of an Israeli agent named Shimon, who confirmed that the presence of Israeli intelligence in Azerbaijan was quiet but essential, with the purpose of getting closer to Iran.
In April 2016, Israeli security expert Yossi Melman, in an interview with the Maariv newspaper, spoke of what he described as the “romantic relationship” between “Israel” and its Shia ally (Azerbaijan) in the Caucasus, amid intelligence and security cooperation between them.
He affirmed that this alliance is growing in strength and importance because Azerbaijan is a country that overlooks the Caspian Sea, shares borders with Iran, and hosts a large base for Mossad, taking advantage of its geographic proximity to the Islamic Republic to monitor developments within it.
In a report on arms transport flights from Tel Aviv to Baku, Haaretz newspaper mentioned on March 6, 2023, that Azerbaijan pledged to “Israel” to use its airports in the event of an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iran has accused Azerbaijan on several occasions in recent years of providing facilitation to Mossad, especially concerning the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists, with some of the perpetrators reportedly passing through Azerbaijani territory before traveling to “Israel.”
