(Jun. 6, 2026 / JNS)

During “Operation Roaring Lion,” Israel deployed commando and intelligence units to Azerbaijan as part of its covert apparatus across the Middle East to facilitate operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, CNN reported on Friday.

Israeli forces operated in several locations in southern Azerbaijan, adjacent to Iran’s northern border, carrying out intelligence-gathering operations, including the dispatching of drones, according to the outlet.

The deployment of secret Israeli forces to several locations across the Middle East gave the Israel Defense Forces “unprecedented reach” in its campaign against Iran, the report said.

Some of the deployments were conducted with permission of the harboring states, and some “likely without,” it added.

Citing four sources with familiarity on the subject, CNN mentioned Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Somaliland as other destinations that Israel utilized during the war.

Initially planned to function as rescue teams in cases of emergency, the forces’ roles expanded as the war went on.

The forward positions of the secret units “helped Israel sustain repeated waves of strikes against targets across the country [Iran],” the report read.

One of the sources said that the forces in Azerbaijan included Mossad personnel and elite helicopter combat and rescue units.

The Azerbaijani embassy in the U.S. rejected the report when CNN asked for comment, saying that no operations were carried out in its territory against third countries.