Azerbaijani secret service (DTX) thwarted a terror attack targeting a prominent member of the Jewish community. Sources within the Jewish community confirm that the intended victim is a senior figure, highly respected both in Azerbaijan and internationally, particularly in Israel, for his significant efforts to strengthen ties between the two nations.
Two suspects – Georgian citizen Aqil Aslanov and Azerbaijani citizen Ceyhun Ismayilov – were apprehended near a Jewish center. According to local media, Aslanov, a known drug trafficker, was approached by foreign intelligence agents while abroad. Local sources point to Iranian involvement, likely orchestrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), notorious for its global terror operations targeting Jews, Israelis, and Iranian dissidents.
Offered a substantial sum for the assassination of the Jewish community member – $200,000 – Aslanov was tasked with gathering intelligence on the target. He, in turn, recruited Ismayilov, and they both collected and transmitted information on the target's residence, workplace, and habits to their handlers.
Azeri-Israel relations
This incident echoes the 2024 UAE assassination of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, attributed to an Uzbek terror cell allegedly operating under Iranian direction. The Begin-Sadat Center has identified Azerbaijan as a frequent target for Iranian-backed terror plots. While the DTX effectively neutralizes many of these threats, past incidents include thwarted attacks in 2004, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022, involving both local and foreign operatives. In 2024, an Afghan citizen was sentenced for attempting to attack the Israeli embassy, with local accomplices recruited by the IRGC.
Azerbaijan remains a key Israeli partner against Iran, with both nations viewing the Ayatollah regime as an existential threat. In 2024, during the war with Hamas (when Israel's armed forces particularly needed uninterrupted fuel supplies), Azerbaijan increased its oil exports to the Jewish state by 55%. Despite Iranian and Turkish pressure on Baku, the intensification of this partnership occurred precisely during the height of the war, while moderate Muslim countries distanced themselves from the Jewish state.