Azerbaijan - A Secret Springboard Of
'Israel'? - Russian Mujahidun
31 March 2012By Markaz Kavkaz
"The Israelis have bought an airfield - the
airfield called Azerbaijan", Foreign Policy quoted an
unnamed senior official of the US administration as
saying in an interview with an article's author,
journalist Mark Perry.
US administration believes that the "Israelis" have
gained access to airbases in Azerbaijan, says the
magazine, citing US officials.
Does this bring "Israel" one step closer to a war with
Iran? However, the magazine says: after the
publication of this article, the official
representative of Azerbaijan said that his country did
not provide "Israel" access to its military air bases.
To begin with, the author refers to a cable from 2009
"Azerbaijan's discreet symbiosis with Israel", that
later published on WikiLeaks. Donald Lu, Deputy US
Ambassador in Baku, has sent this cable to Washington.
If to believe the document, Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev said his country's relationship with the
Jewish state as an iceberg: "nine-tenths of it is
below the surface".
Now the US administration, according to sources, came
to the conclusion that the "submerged aspect" of the
Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance is heightening the risks
of an "Israeli" strike on Iran. Unnamed in the U.S. -
"four senior diplomats and military intelligence
officers" - say that "Israel" has recently been
granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border.
Senior US intelligence officials are increasingly
concerned that "Israel's" military expansion into
Azerbaijan complicates US efforts to dampen
"Israeli"-Iranian tensions. "Military planners, I was
told, must now plan not only for a war scenario that
includes the Persian Gulf -- but one that could
include the Caucasus", the author writes.
Development of the "Israeli"-Azerbaijani relations
complicates the relationship of "Israel" and
Azerbaijan with Turkey, which fears the negative
economic and political consequences of the war with
Iran.
The burgeoning "Israel"-Azerbaijan relationship has
also become a flashpoint in both countries'
relationship with Turkey, a regional heavyweight that
fears the economic and political fallout of a war with
Iran.
During a recent visit to Tehran, however, Azerbaijan's
defense minister publicly ruled out the use of
Azerbaijan for a strike on Iran, the article says. He
described Iran as "brotherly and friendly country".
"But even if government of Azerbaijan makes good on
that promise, it could still provide "Israel" with
essential support", says the author.
A US military intelligence officer noted that Azeri
defense minister did not explicitly bar "Israeli"
bombers from landing in the country after a strike.
Nor did he rule out the basing of "Israeli"
search-and-rescue units in the country.
"We're watching what Iran does closely", one of the US
sources, an intelligence officer engaged in assessing
the ramifications of a prospective "Israeli" attack
confirmed. "But we're now watching what "Israel" is
doing in Azerbaijan. And we're not happy about it".
In February, Azerbaijan has concluded with "Israel"
contracts for the supply of drones, missile and other
weapons in the amount of $ 1.6 billion. At the same
time, Baku's ties with Tehran have frayed: Iran
presented a note to Azerbaijan's ambassador last month
claiming that Baku has supported "Israeli"-trained
assassination squads targeting Iranian scientists.
Baku has recently announced the arrest of 22 alleged
Iranian spies.
Whatever it was, the Azeri airfields will bring great
benefits to "Israel": F F-15I and F-16I
fighter-bombers would not have to refuel midflight
during a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but
could simply continue north and land in Azerbaijan.
This is especially important because, according to the
author, "Israel" does not have a lot of air tankers,
and experience in-flight refueling is minimum. The
author believes that the most suitable air base is
located Azerbaijan - an airfield, where during the
Soviet era Su-25aircrafts were deployed.
Azerbaijan benefits from relations with "Israel", says
the author. "Israel" is the second largest purchasers
of Azerbaijani oil. Arms purchasing from "Israeli"
allows Baku to circumvent the OSCE's embargo.
"Finally, modernizing the Azeri military sends a clear
signal to Iran that interference in Azerbaijan could
be costly", says the magazine. Azerbaijani authorities
broken up the "pro-Iranian terrorist groups and
countered Iranian propaganda efforts among its
population", said an "Israeli"-American expert
Alexander Murinson.
For their part, "Israeli" officials say their
country's cooperation with Baku in the military sphere
is not so big. They only notice that Azerbaijan - one
of the few Muslim countries where "Israelis" feel
welcome. In 2010, "Israeli" politician Ephraim Sneh
called in an interview that Azerbaijan "an icon of
progress and modernity in the Caucasus region".
"A laughable claim: Azerbaijan is a thuggish
family-run kleptocracy and one of the most corrupt
regimes in the world", says one of the informants of
the author, the retired American diplomat.
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