Azerbaijan's Striking Success in Nagorno-Karabakh Unveils Startling Israeli Arms Trade Revelation

On September 19th, when Azerbaijan launched its attack in the predominantly Armenian area of Nagorno-Karabakh, Marut Vanyan noticed a foreboding sound in the sky above his hometown.

"I'm not an expert in military affairs," Vanyan, a journalist, remembered. "However, I distinctly heard the deafening noise above me. I am certain it was an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone."

Vanyan, who has lived in Stepanakert his whole life, the former largest city of Nagorno-Karabakh, could identify the sound based on his experience during the 2020 conflict. Azerbaijan, supported by Turkish and Israeli weaponry, conducted a 44-day war to seize control of the territory and its neighboring areas.

Vanyan recorded a video of the overcast sky in Stepanakert and shared it on X.

Leonid Nersisyan, a defense analyst and researcher at the independent think tank Applied Policy Research Institute (APRI) Armenia, revealed that the distinct propeller sound in the background belonged to the Israel Aerospace Industries Harop. This specific type of loitering munition is renowned for the piercing noise it emits during its descent onto a target.

Azerbaijani forces used the Harop - often referred to as a "suicide drone" - and other Israeli drones throughout the war of 2020. CNN has contacted IAI for comment.

The Harop unmanned combat air vehicle, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, is showcased at the Autonomous Robotics Unmanned System Expo. The event took place on November 26, 2014, in the coastal city of Rishon Le Tsyion, located south of Tel Aviv.

Israels fingerprints

Israeli equipment dominates Azerbaijans arms imports, as confirmed by arms researchers. Azerbaijani officials have consistently highlighted the pivotal role played by Israels weapons in their countrys victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of 2020.

Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh amidst the recent conflict, prompting scrutiny of Israeli-Azerbaijani relations. Haaretz, Israel's prominent left-wing newspaper, has asserted that Israel's involvement is evident in the ethnic cleansing occurring in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to a former lieutenant colonel from the Artsakh Defense Army, drones played a significant role in the 2020 war and the current conflict. The individual spoke anonymously to CNN. It's worth noting that Artsakh refers to Nagorno-Karabakh and the self-proclaimed republic that once existed there.

Azerbaijan employed Harop kamikaze strike drones, in addition to Hermes-450, Orbiter-1K, Orbiter-2, and Orbiter-3 reconnaissance drones, all procured from Israeli arms manufacturers.

Within a span of just over a month, Azerbaijan emerged victorious in the 2020 conflict, reclaiming a significant portion of land that is internationally acknowledged as Azerbaijani territory but had been under the administration and settlement of predominantly ethnic Armenians since the displacement of ethnic Azerbaijanis in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Following a swift 24-hour battle in September, Azerbaijan gained complete control over the region of Karabakh, putting an end to months of blockade. As a result, the approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians residing in the territory have either sought refuge in Armenia or are anticipated to do so, due to concerns of potential ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities. Despite these fears, Azerbaijan claims to prioritize the rights of these individuals in their own country.

It is worth noting that Azerbaijan maintains a strong military alliance with Israel. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), over 60% of Azerbaijani weapon imports originated from Israel between 2017 and 2020, accounting for 13% of Israeli exports during that same timeframe. SIPRI's research further reveals that Azerbaijan has acquired a wide range of drones, missiles, and mortars from Israel spanning from 2010 to 2020.

The extent of the ongoing Azerbaijani-Israeli weapons trade remains uncertain, as stated by SIPRI senior researcher Pieter Wezeman. Before 2020, there was significant information available, but it abruptly ceased. This lack of information is perplexing because Azerbaijan utilized a substantial amount of its equipment in 2020. It is probable that the relationship between Azerbaijan and Israel persists, but limited knowledge is available beyond that.

The trade is known to be particularly active prior to Azerbaijan engaging in warfare. A report by Haaretz in March 2023 revealed that flights by an Azerbaijani airline between Baku and Ovda air base, the only airport in Israel that allows for the transportation of explosives, significantly increased in the months leading up to Azerbaijan's attack on separatist positions in Karabakh in September 2020.

Similarly, Haaretz reported in mid-September that the same company operated flights between Baku and Ovda less than a week before Azerbaijan initiated its latest assault in Nagorno-Karabakh. CNN attempted to reach out to both the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense and the airline involved, but did not receive any response. The Israeli Ministry of Defense, responsible for overseeing Ovda Airport, declined to comment.

"We dont know what was on board, but very likely it is something related to the military equipment that Israel already has supplied to Azerbaijan before," Wezeman said.

Beyond guns and ammunition

The diplomatic relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan, as mentioned in a leaked US diplomatic cable, has been likened to an iceberg, with the majority of their interactions occurring beneath the surface. This comparison holds true for the weapons trade between the two nations as well. Despite years of bilateral cooperation, Azerbaijan has only established an embassy in Israel in the present year.

Azerbaijan soldiers stand guard as at the Lachin border station, as cars leave Karabakh to Armenia, on September 26.

Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

In 2021, OEC figures reveal that Israel purchased 65% of its crude oil from Azerbaijan, demonstrating a deepening relationship between the two countries. Furthermore, it is believed that Azerbaijan and Israel exchange intelligence on Iran, a common adversary, given their shared border and Iran's significant ethnic Azeri population, which is the largest minority in the country. Additionally, Azerbaijan has reportedly granted the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, permission to utilize its territory as a base for espionage activities targeting Iran. Efraim Inbar, an authority on Israel-Azerbaijan relations and the president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, asserts that the ties between the two nations have strengthened since 2020.

"According to Inbar, Azerbaijan is facing increasing pressure from Iran, which is improving its international standing. He added that there is little sympathy towards Armenia in Israel, as it is perceived as an ally of Iran." The Armenian ambassador to Israel also expressed concern in a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post, stating that Israeli weapons are being used against innocent civilians, despite strong pro-Armenia sentiment among Israeli civil society regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and recognition of the Armenian genocide. It should be noted that the Israeli government does not officially recognize the Armenian genocide, as this could negatively impact its relationship with Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire during World War I."

Arms sales good for Israel

But there is little political opposition in the country to selling arms to Azerbaijan, Inbar said.

"Arms sales may not be widely publicized," he remarked. "However, it is widely acknowledged the significant impact of Israeli drones in Azerbaijan's war. Israelis take pride in their advanced weaponry, viewing arms sales as beneficial for Israel."

Nevertheless, Nersisyan, the defense analyst at APRI Armenia, emphasizes that while drones receive considerable attention in the Karabakh conflict, the influence of other Israeli weapons should not be overlooked.

"They are often viewed as a form of super weapon," he remarked. "Undoubtedly, they hold significant importance; however, it is crucial to acknowledge the existence of other categories of weaponry."

Included among these are the LORA missiles from Israel, which Azerbaijan initially procured in 2017 as per SIPRI data.

In October 2020, Azerbaijan utilized Israeli-made weapons to repeatedly target the vicinity near a power substation in Stepanakert. CNN interviewed a former lieutenant colonel from the Artsakh Defense Army who personally witnessed one of these assaults. He stated that the dimensions and depth of the resulting crater were indicative of the utilization of a LORA missile by the Azerbaijani military, which struck a residential structure.

The extent to which Israel is willing to support Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia remains uncertain. Both nations have been engaged in an ongoing border crisis, leading to Azerbaijani incursions into Armenian territory. Currently, Azerbaijani troops occupy sections of the southern Syunik province, well within Armenian borders. Concerns are pervasive in Armenia that an increasingly assertive Azerbaijan may attempt to invade their country, although Azerbaijan denies such intentions. Some apprehensions revolve around Nakhchivan, an inland exclave of Azerbaijan that shares borders with Turkey and Armenia, and Baku's aspiration to establish a transportation corridor that connects it with the rest of the nation.

"Azerbaijan has no military ambitions or intentions within the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia," stated Hikmet Ajiyev, the foreign policy advisor to Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with Reuters on October 1.

Israeli realpolitik

Young ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in the town of Goris during evacuations to Armenia on October 1.

Diego Herrera Carcedo/AFP/Getty Images

On October 1, Azerbaijani border guards inspect Sergey Astsetryan's vehicle at a military checkpoint on the Lachin corridor, while he, an ethnic Armenian resident of Nagorno-Karabakh, showcases his belongings.

Source: Aziz Karimov/AP

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris, Armenia, on September 30.

Diego Herrera Carcedo/AFP/Getty Images

People from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris town center on September 30.

Diego Herrera Carcedo/AFP/Getty Images

An aerial view of the tent camp for ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 29.

AP

Paramedics and employees transport a sick Nagorno-Karabakh woman from Goris to the Erebuni Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, on September 29.

Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure/AP

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh drive to Goris on September 28.

Vahan Stepanyan/PAN Photo/AP

Volunteers distribute food to ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 28.

Vasily Krestyaninov/AP

People in the back of a truck after crossing the border near Kornidzor on September 28.

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

People help move a broken-down car near Kornidzor on September 28.

Anatoly Matlsev/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

People fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh sit on the back of a truck near Kornidzor on September 28.

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

A woman cries after crossing the border near Kornidzor on September 27.

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

People from Nagorno-Karabakh board a bus near a Red Cross registration center in Goris, Armenia, on September 27.

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

On September 27, David Harapetyan, a taxi driver of Armenian descent from Russia, arrived in Kornidzor to offer aid, distributing food and water to individuals from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Greta and Marieta wait to reunite with relatives after arriving in Goris on September 27.

Anthony Pizzoferrato/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

captured a satellite image on September 26 depicting a congestion of vehicles along the Lachin corridor. This occurred as ethnic Armenians were evacuating Nagorno-Karabakh, and it should be noted that the Lachin corridor serves as the sole route connecting the landlocked enclave to Armenia. Notably, this road was recently unblocked to facilitate the safe departure of the region's residents.

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh walk along the road leading to Kornidzor, where a humanitarian hub has been created, on September 26.

Vasily Krestyaninov/AP

Azerbaijani soldiers conduct traffic as cars line up to leave for Armenia on September 26.

Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

Former Nagorno-Karabakh residents at a hotel room in Goris after crossing the Armenian border on September 26.

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris on September 26.

Vasily Krestyaninov/AP

A girl from Nagorno-Karabakh looks out from a car while traveling to Armenia on September 26.

Vasily Krestyaninov/AP

Samantha Power, the head of the US Agency for International Development, addressed reporters following her visit to the humanitarian hub in Kornidzor on September 26. Power stated that doctors on-site have reported cases of "severe malnutrition" among many of the arrivals. She emphasized the urgent need for independent monitors and humanitarian organizations to have access to the individuals in Nagorno-Karabakh who are still in desperate need of assistance.

Volunteers in Kornidzor give apples to people from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 26.

Astrig Agopian/Getty Images

Karine Djagaryan, who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, hugs her father, Novlet, as they meet in Kornidzor on September 26.

Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Kornidzor on September 26.

Astrig Agopian/Getty Images

Vehicles carrying people leaving Nagorno-Karabakh queue on the road leading towards the Armenian border September 25.

David Ghahramanyan/Reuters

A family arrives at the Red Cross humanitarian hub set up in Kornidzor on September 25.

Astrig Agopian/Getty Images

People who fled Nagorno-Karabakh sit on a bus after registering at the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs near the border town of Kornidzor on September 24.

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

In pictures: Ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh

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Following the Armenian exodus from Karabakh, there is growing global pressure for action to be taken against Azerbaijan. In the United States, where a significant Armenian population resides, approximately 100 members of Congress have endorsed the imposition of sanctions on Baku. Similarly, lawmakers within the European Union have urged the bloc to contemplate implementing punitive measures.

Wezeman, the SIPRI researcher, suggested that Israel may face pressure from its Western allies to reassess its arms sales to Azerbaijan due to potential consequences for its relationship with European states, which are considered more significant partners.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Defense said they had no comment when reached by CNN.

Efraim Inbar said Israel wants to keep its reputation of being a reliable supplier to Azerbaijan.

"In any case," he added, "Azerbaijan is much more important for Israel than Armenia. It is realpolitik that drives Israeli foreign policy."