French analysts assess Azerbaijan’s role in possible operations against Iran

Published: 2026-02-28 12:23

On Le 22h Rochebin, the evening political affairs program aired on France’s LCI news channel (part of the TF1 Group), guests discussed a special report by TF1–LCI correspondent Liseron Boudoul from the Iran–Iraq border, as well as broader scenarios involving Iran.

Renaud Girard, a journalist for the French newspaper Le Figaro, claimed that “in Azerbaijan, Israelis have observation sites and even bases from which Israeli commando units could potentially deploy in an attempt to trigger a ‘snowball effect.’”

In the same discussion, TF1–LCI special correspondent Liseron Boudoul referred to “two possible entry routes” into Iran: through the mountainous areas of Iraqi Kurdistan or through what she described as “the Azerbaijani zone, where there are many spies.” She added that, in recent weeks, “the minorities (in Iran) have shown a willingness to come together to bring down the regime — something that did not exist before.”

According to defense and security expert Elizabeth Sheppard Sellam, “there are agents operating on the ground… In the United States, the matter is discussed to a limited extent and largely in terms of speculation. Azerbaijan — an ally of both Israel and the United States — has been mentioned in connection with the possible deployment of special forces, for example in a scenario where a pilot is shot down and needs to be extracted from Iranian territory.”

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News