Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recently traveled to Azerbaijan, officially described as leading a large delegation of business figures. But given current regional tensions—especially with Iran—it’s reasonable to assume the agenda went far beyond commerce.
Israel and Azerbaijan maintain deep security ties. Israel was among Azerbaijan’s key arms suppliers during its successful war against Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict in which Israeli-made systems played a decisive role.
According to widely reported foreign publications, the Mossad team that removed Iran’s nuclear archive documents escaped overland into Azerbaijan. Those same reports claim Israel maintains security infrastructure in Azerbaijan, including active intelligence operations—claims never officially confirmed, but repeatedly cited abroad.
Azerbaijan is a moderate Shiite Muslim country that shares a long border with Iran and views the spread of Iran’s Islamic Revolution as a strategic threat. Compounding Tehran’s concern is the ethnic reality: Azerbaijanis are Iran’s largest ethnic minority, estimated at 18–20 million people—roughly 20–25% of Iran’s population—far more than the population of Azerbaijan itself.
