Exclusive: Israel sent troops to Azerbaijan during Iran war as part of secret network across region, sources say

On 5 June 2026, CNN reported, citing sources, that Israel sent troops to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a secret network across the region. Haaretz reported that IDF troops were secretly deployed near Iran's border, and the Times of Israel reported a covert intelligence mission along the Azerbaijan border and, separately, that Israel operated a base in Somaliland.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli special forces used an Azerbaijan base against Iran, and Kyiv Post wrote that Israeli commandos and Mossad operatives worked from Azerbaijan. Separately, the US struck Iranian radar sites after an Iranian drone launch, and the Straits Times wrote that the latest escalation complicates efforts to end the US-Iran war.