CNN reported four people familiar with the matter said Israel secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a network of covert bases across the Middle East to support operations against Iran. Two sources said those units operated at several locations in southern Azerbaijan near Iran’s northern border, the closest roughly 60 miles from Tabriz; Israel has struck Tabriz during the war. Two other sources said special operations forces were

CNN reported four people familiar with the matter said Israel secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a network of covert bases across the Middle East to support operations against Iran. Two sources said those units operated at several locations in southern Azerbaijan near Iran’s northern border, the closest roughly 60 miles from Tabriz; Israel has struck Tabriz during the war. Two other sources said special operations forces were also deployed there to carry out intelligence collection and UAV/drone missions, giving Israel an observation high ground over northern Iran. Sources said the Azerbaijan sites are one of multiple secret facilities across several countries, including Iraq, the UAE and Somaliland. The forces were initially planned as potential emergency rescue teams but were later expanded into military and intelligence hubs.