With the outbreak of war between Iran and Israel, a familiar pattern has re-emerged - a surge in disinformation circulating across media platforms, especially when tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv dominate the global agenda. Certain actors are working to reshape the conflict into a geopolitical triangle, attempting to draw Azerbaijan into the confrontation between the two countries.
In recent days, rumors have been actively spread by Iranian and Armenian media outlets, as well as across Armenian and Russian segments of social networks, suggesting alleged Azerbaijani involvement in Israel’s strikes against Iran. Many of the sources promoting these claims are the same ones that previously pushed bizarre and unfounded narratives during past periods of tension between Baku and Tehran - including false stories about Israeli military bases on Azerbaijani soil, espionage operations, and more. The current environment has provided fertile ground for such disinformation, and the fabrications have reached an even more egregious level.
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Provocateurs in the media and on social platforms now claim that Israeli drones are being launched from Azerbaijani territory, and that Baku has recruited ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran to spy for Israel. These baseless accusations are driven by an agenda: to incite a rift between Azerbaijan and Iran. And their imagination seems limitless.
In response, the Milli Majlis Commission on Combating Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats issued a statement, noting that after analyzing monitoring data, it was established that information campaigns targeting Azerbaijan are being orchestrated via social media by groups operating from neighboring countries and serving the interests of specific political circles. False and distorted information is being disseminated through platforms like Telegram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and YouTube. Alarmingly, the monitoring also revealed that some ethnic Azerbaijanis and citizens of Azerbaijan are participating in this disinformation campaign.
Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, wrote on X:
“These absurd, fantasy-based allegations have nothing to do with reality and are nothing more than deliberate disinformation. We categorically reject these false claims and groundless accusations.”
It is no secret that specific political and ideological centers in Iran and Armenia are directly involved in manufacturing these narratives. Initially, the disinformation appeared in Telegram channels in Persian and Armenian, referencing radical Iranian outlets. Later, these fakes spread to Russian-speaking social networks.
Azerbaijan has maintained a position of strict neutrality in the current conflict - a stance that seems to frustrate certain circles. Baku has no intention of being dragged into someone else’s war and resists all attempts to involve it in the confrontation. These provocateurs are not only trying to provoke Tehran against Baku but are also attempting to undermine Azerbaijan’s government in the eyes of religious communities who largely sympathize with Iran in this conflict.
It is unlikely that the current disinformation wave is the work of ordinary users. Analysis shows that most channels spreading these fabrications are registered in countries with large Armenian diasporas - primarily France, Germany, and Canada. In Iran, the effort is led by fringe groups and provocateurs who were also active in the anti-Azerbaijani campaign two years ago. Notably, no official Iranian institution has echoed these accusations. On the contrary, the recent visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian clarified the nature of bilateral relations, signaling a new chapter following years of tension.
The accusations against Baku are entirely unsubstantiated. Neither now nor in the past have these provocateurs been able to produce a single credible piece of evidence. Instead, they rely on easily debunked falsehoods. For instance, consider the so-called “map of Israeli bases” in Azerbaijan that appeared in radical Iranian media in March of this year and later circulated in Armenian outlets. In today’s era of advanced technology, exposing such forgeries is straightforward - and it was swiftly done. Yet these fabrications are recycled whenever the moment seems ripe.
The claim that Israeli drones are being launched from Azerbaijani territory, or that there are Israeli airfields in Azerbaijan, does not stand up to even minimal scrutiny. With modern radar and satellite tracking systems, the flight path of any aircraft can be documented. If there were any basis to these allegations, evidence would have already surfaced.
However, Azerbaijan has no need to justify itself. It has consistently pursued a balanced and independent foreign policy, avoiding entanglement in external wars and conflicts - whether it be the war between Iran and Israel or the war between Russia and Ukraine. In both instances, Azerbaijan was targeted by disinformation. Russian media accused Baku of supporting Ukraine, while Ukrainian media published claims that Azerbaijan backed Moscow. This reflects Baku’s growing regional stature - and, perhaps, the envy or unease it provokes in others.
The truth is that Azerbaijan has more reason than most to oppose the destabilization of Iran, as well as the destruction and loss of life in friendly countries like Israel. Basic logic dictates that Azerbaijan cannot benefit from a conflict erupting on its doorstep. This war is not taking place in a distant land - it is unfolding in Azerbaijan’s neighborhood. The risks are enormous, not just for the warring countries but for the entire region. A prolonged war threatens economic and migration crises, as well as the potential danger of missile incidents near or on Azerbaijani territory. In this particular case, the conflict also carries the added risk of radiation exposure should Iran’s nuclear facilities suffer major damage.
Who could possibly believe that such a scenario benefits Azerbaijan? Having restored its territorial integrity, Azerbaijan is now focused on reconstruction, development, and implementing ambitious international infrastructure projects. What it needs is peace and stability.
Simply put, the war between Iran and Israel may serve many agendas - but Azerbaijan’s is certainly not one of them.
