Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Col.-Gen. Zakir Hasanov, July 13, 2023 (Photo: Ariel Hermoni/IMoD)
Amid concerns over imminent strikes by Iran, Israel Defense Forces issued a new order on Sunday which prohibits soldiers, including reserve soldiers, from staying in the countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan, KAN 11 news reported on Sunday evening.
All regular IDF soldiers in those two countries were required to return to Israel immediately.
Both Georgia and Azerbaijan are located close to Iran and are known to have an Iranian intelligence presence. Azerbaijan directly shares a border with the Islamic regime.
Last week, senior officials in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated: “The possibility of hitting targets outside of Israel is also being considered.”
The IRGC officials added, “The April attack will be remembered as minor,” referring to Iran’s direct attack, when it launched 300 missiles and drones toward Israel.
Last week, a report from Iran International stated that newly-inaugurated Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asked Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to refrain from attacking Israel in order to prevent a full-scale war.
According to a report in The Telegraph last week, the Iran’s military leaders proposed a direct strike on Tel Aviv, but Pezeshkian suggested attacking secret Israeli bases in neighboring countries like Azerbaijan or Iraqi Kurdistan, instead.
Pezeshkian “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,” an aide to the Iranian president told The Telegraph.
The aide also said Pezeshkian suggested giving Hezbollah more sophisticated weapons and “letting them fight” against Israel, instead of a Iran launching a direct attack.
Khamenei is expected to make the final decision on how Iran will respond to the assassination of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Iran accuses Israeli forces for the leader’s death in Tehran last month.
On Sunday, the IDF Spokesman’s Office clarified that despite reports regarding Iran’s intention to directly attack Israel in the coming days, there has been no change to Israel’s defense policy.
“Following the recent reports regarding Iran’s plans, we clarify that at this stage there is no change in the Home Front Command’s directives,” the IDF office stated. “The IDF and the defense establishment are monitoring our enemies and developments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran and Hezbollah, and are constantly assessing the situation.”
Recent military exercises by the IRGC and the closure of Western airspace in Iran have been interpreted as signs of a potential imminent attack by Iran. However, as of the latest update, the IDF Home Front Command has not made any changes to its security assessment.
