Israel seeks military base in Azerbaijan

by Spiegel

Israel is searching for a military base in Azerbaijan. The Israeli military could use Azerbaijani airfields for attacks on Iran without need for refueling in the air, Foreign Policy reports. A strike on Iran would then be more likely.

The distance between the Sitalchay airfield and Iran is only a few hundreds of kilometers. The airfield with two runways lost its value after the collapse of the USSR. But it may become the starting point for a war with Iran.

Foreign Policy said that the US fears that Israel will assault Iran. "We observe what Israel is doing in Azerbaijan. We are unhappy with what we see", says a US intelligence officer studying the problem.
By having a military base in Azerbaijan, Israeli military would have advantage to attack Iran: military aircraft would be able to refuel in Azerbaijan without mid-air refueling. According to US strategists, Israel has problems with refueling F-15s and F-16s.

Israeli bombers could take off in Azerbaijan with less fuel on board. Thus, they could carry more weapons and chances for success would be bigger. "This does not guarantee that Israel will attack Iran, but the attack would definitely be easier", former US regional commander in the Middle East General Joe Hoar told Foreign Policy.

Israel has been supplying Azerbaijan with weapons for years

It seems the Sitalchay military base fits Israeli interests. It is located 50 km north of Baku. It was one of the most important bases of the Red Army in the Caucasus and Middle Asia. Azerbaijan took control of the base in 1992, becoming an independent state. Foreign Policy says that only 4 Soviet bases would suit Israel.
But even if Israeli combat aircraft were not taking off in Azerbaijan, the northern neighbour of Iran would give Israel other strategic advantages. Military bases can be used by helicopters for scouting and rescue missions in Iran.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev visited Tehran in March 2012 and denied that his state could be used as a platform for attack on Iran. "Azerbaijan will never allow its air space to be used for attacks on Iran, which we consider a friend and brother". A US intelligence officer says that the ministers words have various interpretations: the minister did not rule out the opportunity for Israeli planes to land in Azerbaijan after missions in Iran.

Azerbaijan is one of the few Muslim states supporting sustainable military, political and economic ties with Iran. Israel is the second largest importer of of Azerbaijani petroleum. With Israeli support, Azerbaijan evades the embargo on trade of weapons imposed by the OSCE due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia.

Israel and Azerbaijan signed a deal worth $1.6 billion this year. Netanyahu's government approved sales of drones and missile defenses to Azerbaijan.

Israel and Azerbaijan are silent

Relations between the Caucasus republic and Tehran have cooled down. Despite the fact that Azerbaijanis and Iranians are Shiites, Baku complains about suppression of its ethnic communities in the north-western part of Iran. Azerbaijani special services uncovered an Iranian terrorist group under command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Baku announced arrest of 22 Iranian agents planning attacks on embassies of Israel, US and other western states this month.

The events speed up the process partition between Iran and Azerbaijan. Whether Baku hands the base to Israel for attack on Iran or not is still in question. Neither Israel, nor Azerbaijan have given Foreign Policy comments on the issue. WikiLeaks published a US diplomat's diplomatic messagequoting President Ilham Aliyev: "Nine tenths of our relations with Israel are behind the curtain".