Israel is said to have secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during its war with Iran, operating from positions near the Iranian border as part of a broader network of covert sites across the Middle East. According to CNN on Friday, citing four sources familiar with the matter, Israeli forces operated from several locations in southern Azerbaijan, some as close as 60 miles (97 kilometers) from the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, which was targeted during the conflict.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The deployment reportedly included special operations forces, members of Israel’s elite heliborne combat and rescue units, and Mossad personnel. Sources told CNN the teams conducted intelligence-gathering missions, drone operations, and maintained positions that could support rescue missions in the event Israeli aircraft were downed over Iran. The Azerbaijani operation was one element of a wider network of covert military sites that reportedly extended into Iraq, the UAE and Somaliland. However, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s embassy in Washington rejected the allegations. “We firmly reject unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan’s territory for operations against third countries,” the embassy said in a statement to CNN. Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Israel Defense Forces did not comment on the report. CNN says covert network extended across Middle East According to CNN, Israeli military planners initially envisioned some of the sites as emergency rescue positions but later expanded their role to include intelligence collection and operational support.