Azerbaijani authorities vehemently denied a CNN report claiming Israel carried out advanced intelligence and military operations from its territory during the war with Iran.Israel and Azerbaijan have been known to be close allies since the 1990s, but a CNN report, citing four sources familiar with the matter, alleged a previously unknown element in their relationship on Friday. According to the report, Israel sent dozens of commandos and Mossad operatives to operate out of secret bases in southern Azerbaijan during the recent war with Iran, operations that extended into intelligence gathering and drone assassinations. It alleged that one of the most pivotal assassinations of the war, which killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence chief Rahman Moghaddam in the opening days of the conflict, was carried out by a drone operated out of Azerbaijan.Baku was quick to vehemently deny the report, with a direct response from Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry hours later that said the claims were “entirely baseless and are categorically rejected.”
“The publication of allegations based on anonymous sources, without presenting any credible evidence while disregarding Azerbaijan’s official position, runs contrary to the principles of objectivity, impartiality, and professional ethics in journalism,” the statement said.
