Azerbaijan arrests Afghan national suspected of planning attack on Israeli embassy
Diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and Israel have been strong and expanding in recent months
Azerbaijani security arrested an Afghan national who was reportedly planning a terror attack against the Israeli embassy in the capital, Baku.
The 23-year-old male suspect, Pavzan Musa Khan, was reportedly planning to use a variety of weapons for the attack, including explosives. He had allegedly been preparing for the attack by researching the area around the embassy and seeking cooperation from other individuals regarding the necessary weaponry.
Diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and Israel have been strong and expanding in recent months.
Azerbaijani officials hinted that Khan may have been cooperating with a third nation to conduct the attack against the Jewish state’s embassy. According to the official statement, the most likely candidate is the Islamic Republic of Iran, although the country was not named.
The ayatollah regime has a history of using proxy groups in terror attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide.
While Azerbaijan is a country with a Muslim majority, it has strained ties with its neighbor Iran due to Tehran’s growing threats.
In May, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Azerbaijan to meet with President Ilham Aliyev to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. Ahead of his trip, Herzog stressed that he intended to discuss the shared Iranian threat with Azerbaijani leadership.
“We need to remember that beyond trade and historic ties, including with the Jewish community, that Azerbaijan is Iran's neighbor,” Herzog said.
“Iran is a destabilizing influence in the region that is working continuously to act against Israel and against the developing alliance of peace and security in the region, and I will certainly discuss this,” he added.
Aliyev said that Azerbaijani Jews were “a big asset to our country,” during Herzog's visit to celebrate the 75th year of Israel’s independence.
“Jewish citizens of Azerbaijan contribute a lot for the modern development in our country,” the Azerbaijani president said, adding that Jews "have always been an active prominent part of our society and remain that way today.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
