12 August 2024
The Israeli Defence Forces have reportedly ordered off-duty personnel to leave Georgia and Azerbaijan, amidst fears of an attack on Israeli targets by Iran.
Israeli state-owned TV station Kan 11 reported that the order came on Monday, amid concerns that Iran might strike at Israeli targets either within Israel or in countries near Iran.
The Times of Israel reported that Israeli servicemembers ‘could presumably be in either country on vacation or to visit family’.
The Israeli Embassy in Georgia has confirmed to OC Media that the Israeli army ordered its personnel to leave Georgia. OC Media has not been able to reach the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan for comment.
Iran has vowed to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas’ political Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the killing, but has been gearing up for a potential Iranian response since.
On 9 August, British newspaper The Telegraph reported that Iran’s newly elected President, Masoud Pezeshkian, was engaged in a power struggle with the influential Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, with the president suggesting that Iran should target ‘secret Israeli bases in Iran’s neighbouring countries’ and the Revolutionary Guard pushing for a direct attack on Israel.
The Telegraph quoted an Iranian presidential aide as saying that President Pezeshkian ‘has suggested targeting somewhere related to Israel in the Republic of Azerbaijan or [Iraqi] Kurdistan and let these countries know before that and get done with the whole drama’.
Azerbaijan maintains close ties with Israel and has an uneasy relationship with Iran. Azerbaijan also denies the existence of Israeli facilities inside its borders.
Later on Monday, Azerbaijani state news agency Azertac published a statement by the Media Development Agency accusing Kan 11 and The Telegraph of ‘circulating disinformation’ and of ‘referencing sources of questionable credibility’. They denied that Israel ‘banned its soldiers from staying in Azerbaijan’.
‘We inform you that there is no military contingent from any foreign country present on the territory of Azerbaijan. We strongly condemn information manipulations based on false news’, stated the agency.
Georgia has not officially commented on reports of the Israeli military ordering its personnel to leave Georgia, and the foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Georgia maintains close ties with Israel and around 120,000 Georgian Jews reside in Israel.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze earlier courted controversy after attending Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony in Tehran, a day before Haniyeh’s assassination.
This article was amended to include the Israeli Embassy in Georgia’s response to OC Media’s inquiries.
