Azerbaijan denies CNN report alleging territory used for operations against Iran

Azerbaijan on Friday rejected a CNN report alleging that its territory was used for military and intelligence operations against Iran and that Israeli forces were deployed in the country during the recent conflict.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described the allegations as "entirely baseless" and called on CNN to retract the report.

"The claims presented in the article have been repeatedly denied by the Azerbaijani side, and this position was officially conveyed to CNN in response to its inquiry prior to the publication of the article," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said in a statement.

"As has been stated on numerous occasions, allegations that Azerbaijan's territory has been used by any third country for military operations, intelligence activities, or other hostile purposes against another state are completely unfounded. Azerbaijan has never allowed, and will never allow, its territory to be used for such purposes," the official said.

He noted that Azerbaijan remains committed to promoting peace, stability, and good-neighborly relations in the region. 

CNN earlier reported, citing sources, that Israel secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a network of covert sites across the Middle East to facilitate operations against Iran.