The expert community of the South Caucasus and the Middle East continues to discuss with keen interest a truly sensational piece of news reported by the Israeli television channel “11KAN”: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reportedly prohibited their military personnel from staying in Azerbaijan and Georgia due to threats from Iran. According to the IDF command’s directives, Israelis in these two South Caucasus countries must immediately return to Israel. It was emphasized that Georgia and Azerbaijan are in close proximity to Iran, with a significant number of Iranians residing in these countries, and Azerbaijan shares a border with the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Given the widespread anticipation of a “major war” between Israel and Iran, this seems more than logical. But here’s the thing.
In Azerbaijan, the “11KAN” report was commented on by the Media Development Agency, with a strong adherence to “weight categories.” The agency reminded everyone that there are no foreign, including Israeli, military contingents on Azerbaijani territory and advised that journalistic standards be upheld by using only official and verified sources of information in such matters. Essentially, they urged people not to engage in spreading fake news.
The inconsistencies and contradictions are noted not only in Azerbaijan but also in Israel itself. The sensational news appeared exclusively on the TV channel’s website and in the personal social media accounts of one of the channel’s commentators, but it is absent from the official IDF website, which is already strange. In response to direct questions from journalists, the Israeli military command gave a vague answer: “The IDF constantly assesses the situation, updating information about countries where IDF personnel are allowed to enter.” One might guess that this advice applies to active military personnel and reservists currently not on duty who might travel abroad as tourists. But if there is unrest or potential danger in Georgia and Azerbaijan, why isn’t there a warning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for ordinary Israeli citizens? Another oddity: why is there no warning regarding Armenia, which also shares a border with Iran? And where, I might add, Iranian intelligence agencies have been known to monitor “CIA agents”? Cooperation agreements between Iranian and Armenian intelligence services were signed back in the 1990s–2000s. But for some reason, no one is issuing any warnings about Armenia. In short, there are too many strange aspects to this news not to question whether it might be fake.
Finally, the most noteworthy aspect: this “sensation” from “11KAN” appeared shortly after the British outlet The Telegraph spread its own sensational news: allegedly, the new president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, an ethnic Azerbaijani, is persuading Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also an ethnic Azerbaijani, not to attack Israel but to strike “Israeli targets” in other countries, including Azerbaijan. Previously, the first threats against Azerbaijan came from Iranian media outlets associated with the “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” not from British newspapers. So, what is really going on here?
Are these accidental leaks appearing amidst the general increase in tensions between Iran and Israel, or is there a deliberate effort to create the impression that there are some “Israeli military facilities” on Azerbaijani territory, with IDF personnel stationed there, and so on? It’s not hard to guess who might benefit from such fake news. Some might be displeased with the constructive relations between Azerbaijan and Israel; others might want to drive a wedge between Azerbaijan and other countries with strong anti-Israel sentiments… And this is not just about “kitchen table discussions”—there have already been attacks on SOCAR offices in Turkey. Tomorrow, embassies, commercial representations, and business entities of Azerbaijan might come under attack… Therefore, such “fake attacks” should certainly not be taken lightly.
