Israel reportedly deployed elite forces in Azerbaijan, operated Somaliland base, during Iran war

Operations by dozens of commandos and Mossad agents along Iran’s northern border included killing of IRGC special operations chief, CNN says; Baku rejects ‘entirely baseless’ report

Israel secretly deployed elite forces to Azerbaijan and operated a fighter jet refueling station in Somaliland during the war with Iran, a report said Friday.

Dozens of commandos and Mossad agents were stationed along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, including, at the closest post to Iran, some 60 miles (96 kilometers) from the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, which Israel struck during the war, according to CNN, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The forces were originally meant to serve as a rescue team in case Iran shot down an Israeli jet, but the mission was expanded to include intelligence and drone operations in support of Israel’s offensive, the US outlet said.

Among the operations Israel reportedly launched from Azerbaijan was the killing, early in the Iran war, of Rahman Moqadam, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Special Operations Division.

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 Israel said the country rejects the “entirely baseless” claims in the report

“As has been stated on numerous occasions, allegations that Azerbaijan’s territory has been used by any third country for military operations, intelligence activities, or other hostile purposes against another state are completely unfounded. Azerbaijan has never allowed, and will never allow, its territory to be used for such purposes,” it said, attacking CNN for betraying “the principles of objectivity, impartiality, and professional ethics in journalism.”

Iran has long expressed concern that Israel — a key Azerbaijani arms supplier and energy consumer — could use Azerbaijan’s territory to stage attacks on it. In June 2025, Azerbaijan reassured Tehran that it would not allow such use of its territory after Israel launched a large-scale strike on Iranian targets. Tehran has historically been wary of separatist sentiment among its ethnic Azerbaijani minority, which makes up around 10 million of Iran’s 83 million citizens.

The CNN report about Israel’s deployments in Azerbaijan and Somaliland follows separate reports in US media that said Israel had also deployed an air defense unit to the United Arab Emirates and operated two covert bases in Iraq during the war against Iran.

CNN said it has approached Somaliland’s foreign ministry and Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and military for comment.

Israel in December became the first nation to recognize the breakaway region in East Africa, enraging Arab League and African Union countries.

While Israel remains the only nation to recognize Somaliland, CNN noted that the UAE maintains a large commercial and military presence in Somaliland’s port city of Berbera.

Israel and the US launched a bombing campaign on Iran on February 28 to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

US President Donald Trump declared a truce on April 8, but talks to end the war have faltered over the nuclear program and postwar control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran blockaded early in the war.

On Thursday, Trump said Washington does not need a deal with Iran to extract the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

“We could get it right now. I don’t think they could stop us if we wanted, but there’s no reason to. It’s entombed,” he said.

While Iran, whose leaders are sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking nuclear arms, it has enriched uranium to levels with no peaceful application. The highly enriched material is believed to be trapped underground after the US bombed key Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day Israel-Iran war last June.

Agencies contributed to this report.