Israel secretly deployed military units and special intelligence teams to Azerbaijan during its war with Iran, a network expansion that served as a critical node in Tel Aviv’s covert regional infrastructure.

The strategic move was designed to reinforce and streamline military operations against Tehran, according to four reliable sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN.

Two of the sources revealed that these specialized units operated out of multiple clandestine locations in southern Azerbaijan, situated in close proximity to Iran’s northern border.

The nearest of these outposts was located just 60 miles from the Iranian city of Tabriz, a site targeted by Israeli airstrikes during the conflict.

According to two additional sources, elite Israeli commando units were also stationed in these specific border zones.

Their primary objectives included gathering intelligence and executing drone operations, providing Israel with an unprecedented capability for around-the-clock surveillance over northern Iran during the height of the war.

The CNN report marks the first public disclosure of Israel’s secret military deployment in Azerbaijan.

Positioned as one of Tel Aviv's most vital forward operating locations across the wider region, the deployment granted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) access to remote, previously inaccessible terrains.

Analysts note that this highlights the passive role played by some of Iran's neighbors in the strikes against Tehran—operations conducted with the implicit consent of certain nations, and entirely without the knowledge of others, effectively drawing regional neighbors into the crossfire.

Sources further disclosed to CNN that Israel maintained similar covert military facilities in several other territories, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Somaliland.

Initially designated as emergency search-and-rescue units, their operational scope was subsequently expanded to encompass highly sensitive intelligence-gathering and combat support missions.

According to the sources, these forward deployments allowed Israeli forces to position themselves near Iran's southern, western, and northern frontiers, effectively extending Tel Aviv's operational reach by hundreds of miles and facilitating sustained, large-scale strikes deep inside Iranian territory.

Detailing the scale of the operation, one source stated that the special mission in Azerbaijan involved dozens of personnel, including members of Israel’s Special Operations Forces, elite helicopter-borne assault and rescue units, and high-ranking officials from the intelligence agency Mossad.

However, a spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Embassy in the United States firmly rejected the report, stating to CNN, "We strongly deny the baseless claims that Azerbaijan’s territory was utilized for operations against any third country."

CNN's requests for comment from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the IDF did not yield an immediate response.

Meanwhile, sources noted that the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, located in the Horn of Africa, provided Israel with another critical strategic foothold.

This facility likely served as a logistics and refueling stop for Israeli fighter jets during long-range bombing missions into Iran.

Notably, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland last December. CNN’s report is the first to confirm the utilization of this covert facility.

Furthermore, Israel maintained two secret military installations in Iraq for a duration of the war, a development initially exposed by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

The Iraqi military subsequently issued a statement asserting that no "unauthorized bases or forces" remained in the country as of early March.

Similarly, US news outlet Axios previously reported that Israel had secretly deployed an Iron Dome aerial defense battery alongside other protective systems in the UAE during the conflict, a claim the Emirati government has strongly denied.

Israel and Azerbaijan share a long-standing, deep-rooted relationship anchored by commercial and military interests.

Azerbaijan supplies a significant portion of Israel’s oil requirements, in exchange for advanced Israeli military hardware—some of which was deployed during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Prior to the outbreak of the war with Iran, Gershon Kogan, an Iran expert at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, noted: "Israel’s strategic ties with Azerbaijan are deliberately understated, operating on a framework of arms supply, intelligence sharing, and a long-term technological interdependence in the security sector."

According to Joshua Kucera, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, this relationship yields significant diplomatic leverage for Azerbaijan, allowing Baku to effectively utilize Israel’s influence in Washington, D.C., to advance its own interests.