Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry denied claims published by international media on Friday that Israeli military and intelligence personnel allegedly operated from its territory during the ongoing Iran war, calling the reports "completely groundless".
"We categorically reject those particular claims mentioned in the article," Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson and head of the ministry's press service, told Euronews on Friday.
"Azerbaijan has never provided its territory for any malign actions against any third country, including Iran," he emphasised.
Asked whether Baku would investigate the allegations, Hajizada said, “there is no any evidence so far and any claims that reports about the use of Azerbaijan's territory are completely groundless and we've also noted on multiple occasions that if someone could provide any evidence we can also consider that, but at the same time so far there is no any evidence for that and Azerbaijan's territory could never be used and will never be used against the third parties including our neighbouring countries and friendly countries.”
“Azerbaijan has always conducted a balanced foreign policy based on good neighbourly relations, but at the same time our partnership with Israel has always been good in multi-sector areas and multi-vector areas," Hajizada said.
"We've also developed multiple areas of cooperation with the Iranian side, with the Israeli side and with all the regional countries," he added. "Azerbaijan has always conducted a balanced foreign policy based on our national interests based on mutual understanding and cooperation.”
The reports, attributed to anonymous sources, were not confirmed by either Azerbaijan or Israel. No independent evidence has been publicly presented to support the report.
Euronews has reached out to the Israeli government for comment.
Azerbaijan shares a roughly 700-kilometre border with Iran and has consistently stated it will not allow its territory to be used against neighbouring states.
Tensions between Baku and Tehran in the Iran war previously rose on 5 March, when Iranian drones struck Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave, hitting the terminal of Nakhchivan International Airport and landing near a school in the village of Shakarabad, injuring four civilians.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev called it "an act of terror" and demanded an apology and accountability. Tehran denied responsibility and said it would investigate.
Azerbaijan withdrew its diplomatic staff from Iran the day after the strike, before gradually normalising relations in the weeks that followed.
Baku has maintained close economic and security ties with Israel since the 1990s.
