"Azerbaijan as Israel's close partner should be aware of its plans regarding Iran"
Caliber.Az interview with Yigal Levin

INTERVIEWS  02 February 2023 - 18:37

Caliber.Az presents an interview with Israeli officer and military analyst Yigal Levin.

- Last Saturday, explosions erupted in the Iranian city of Isfahan. After images of the explosions circulated on social media, the country's Defence Ministry acknowledged the fact but said no serious damage had been inflicted. Moreover, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said nothing about attacks on military targets in his address to the nation. What lies behind such behaviour?

- There have been protests in Iran for months, and the protesting opposition has long called itself revolutionaries. We know that there are constant attacks on Basij and IRGC bases there, and we also know that dozens of Iranian officers have been eliminated. On the other hand, the IRGC constantly publishes reports on the liquidation of a revolutionary cell and the weapons found there. It is always blamed on "Zionist traces" or Mossad agents. Sometimes Azerbaijan is also mentioned, as Iran directly calls it an outpost of Israel (or Zionists) in its neighbourhood. That is why it was important for Iran's president to say that they have everything under control, that drone attacks and protests are just background and routine, and so insignificant that they are not worth mentioning. Everyone expected Raisi to talk about the attacks, but he did not, demonstrating how insignificant they were. By the way, Russia is using the same tactics. This time Iran is trying to convince everyone that the strikes undertaken are insignificant and painless.

- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant held telephone conversations with Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov and the head of the State Border Guard Service, Elchin Guliyev. Power ministers have a lot of topics for such communication, but what do you think was discussed in the first place?

- To all appearances, they talked about military coordination and cooperation. If we assume that the US and Israel will launch a military operation against Iran to deprive it of the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons, it will probably happen in certain cooperation with Azerbaijan. At least because your country borders Iran. The fact is that large-scale hostilities may in some way - not necessarily consciously, but also accidentally - affect neighbouring countries. For example, a missile could fall on the territory of another state, as it did in Poland. When hostilities take place on the land of a state with which you are bordering, there is a danger that it could accidentally spill over to you. In any case, coordination has to take place. In other words, Azerbaijan, as a very close partner of Israel, must be aware of certain plans of Tel Aviv on Iran. This is a very competent approach.

- Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, a member of Iran's foreign policy and national security commission of the Majlis (parliament), said Iran would respond to the Isfahan attack, as well as to Kyiv's hints of involvement in it... "The attack on Isfahan will not go unanswered," Meshkini warned. According to the MP, Kyiv is not allowing itself more blatant outbursts against Tehran now as it knows what kind of response it will get. "They are very afraid. Because we don't mess with anyone," he added arrogantly. How can you comment on this?

- Iran is trying to elevate itself against the weak because it understands that Ukraine is in dire straits because of the war with Russia and that Kyiv has no time for Iranians right now. That is why Iran is trying to attack Ukraine in the information field, showing its strength. This is just an attempt to rise up against a country that is currently in a bloody battle and which certainly does not care about the outbursts of Iranian MPs right now. By the way, a very cheap trick.

Caliber.Az