AZE.US
Azerbaijani officials have strongly rejected a CNN report alleging that Azerbaijan’s territory was used by Israel for military or intelligence operations against Iran.
The Foreign Ministry called the claims “completely groundless” and demanded a retraction from CNN.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada said Azerbaijan’s position had been stated repeatedly and was also sent officially to CNN in response to the outlet’s request before publication.
He said the report relied on anonymous sources, presented no convincing evidence and failed to take Azerbaijan’s official position into account.
“Publishing claims based on anonymous sources without any solid evidence, and ignoring Azerbaijan’s official position, contradicts the principles of objectivity, impartiality and professional journalistic ethics,” Hajizada said.
The Foreign Ministry said Azerbaijan has never allowed, and will never allow, its territory to be used against any third country for military operations, intelligence activity or other hostile purposes.
Baku described the allegations as another disinformation attempt and said they were not backed by evidence.
“We expect CNN to retract the article that spread these baseless claims,” the ministry said.
Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency also criticized CNN, calling the report a “political provocation” directed against Azerbaijan and regional security.
The agency said CNN had circulated false information based on unnamed sources and ignored basic standards of journalism, including balance and fact-checking.
According to the agency, such reports can mislead the international public, damage interstate relations and increase tensions in the region.
The agency demanded that CNN issue a retraction and apologize to Azerbaijan.
Later, the Milli Majlis temporary commission on countering foreign interference and hybrid threats also issued a statement on the matter.
The commission called on CNN either to acknowledge that the report was unfounded or to present facts proving its claims to the public.
According to the commission, the CNN article claimed that Israel had sent troops to Azerbaijan as part of a “secret network” in the region during the war with Iran. The commission said the report was based on unnamed sources.
The parliamentary commission described the publication as part of an information campaign aimed at damaging Azerbaijan’s national interests and international reputation.
It said there are no foreign military bases or foreign troops in Azerbaijan, and that the country’s territory cannot be used for hostile actions against third states.
The commission also said the claims were quickly amplified by international media and social media platforms, including X, Threads, Facebook and Telegram.
If CNN fails to provide evidence, the commission said, it would confirm that the outlet used unverified anonymous sources to spread disinformation narratives.
Azerbaijani officials insist that the country’s territory has never been used against Iran and say the CNN report amounts to a serious information manipulation.
AZE.US