Posted on 03/30/2012 1:31:57 AM PDT by U-238
In 2009, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Baku, Donald Lu, sent a cable to the State Department's headquarters in Foggy Bottom titled "Azerbaijan's discreet symbiosis with Israel." The memo, later released by WikiLeaks, quotes Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev as describing his country's relationship with the Jewish state as an iceberg: "nine-tenths of it is below the surface."
Why does it matter? Because Azerbaijan is strategically located on Iran's northern border and, according to several high-level sources I've spoken with inside the U.S. government, Obama administration officials now believe that the "submerged" aspect of the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance -- the security cooperation between the two countries -- is heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran.
In particular, four senior diplomats and military intelligence officers say that the United States has concluded that Israel has recently been granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border. To do what, exactly, is not clear. "The Israelis have bought an airfield," a senior administration official told me in early February, "and the airfield is called Azerbaijan."
Senior U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly concerned that Israel's military expansion into Azerbaijan complicates U.S. efforts to dampen Israeli-Iranian tensions, according to the sources. Military planners, I was told, must now plan not only for a war scenario that includes the Persian Gulf -- but one that could include the Caucasus. The burgeoning Israel-Azerbaijan relationship has also become a flashpoint in both countries' relationship with Turkey, a regional heavyweight that fears the economic and political fallout of a war with Iran. Turkey's most senior government officials have raised their concerns with their U.S. counterparts, as well as with the Azeris, the sources said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...
I admit to still being a tad confused about how the Israeli army is going to get from Israel to Azerbaijan - maybe by way of their new tunnel under Syria and Turkey. A quick look at a map of southern Turkey shows a town called Batman, which of course would have an extensive natural network of caves, like the one under the Wayne manor. State Department sources have also indicated that two segments of the Turkish tunnel network are joined by an Israeli submarine on Lake Van. That particular idea came from extensive study of “The Gods of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs [submarines under Mars’ south pole). I tried to dissuade them, based on the logistics alone, but you know how stubborn some people can be at times....
It isn’t secret if you post it. Now, is it?
I think the Obama Administration has already sold out Israel...
What?? No maps or detailed satellite photos??
The Israelis are very cozy with the Azeris. Israel was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan and trades weapons for oil with them across a well traveled land and air route over Georgia.
Israel will not stage anything in Azerbaijan, they don’t need to. Any raid will come out of Israel, refuel over the Black Sea, follow the established commercial air routes over Georgia, Azerbaijan, and tiptoe on to Iran.
Because of the payload, Israeli jets will have a limited range. Once they deliver their ordnance on target they will just have enough fuel to make Azerbaijan airfields to land.
Once there, the Azeri’s will announce that they have landed illegally and intern the jets, releasing the pilots. Azerbaijan then keeps the Israeli jets for themselves (that they have been trying to buy) and simply forgets about a number of tankers of oil headed for Israel.
We quietly resupply the Israeli’s with new updated aircraft, that we were going to do anyway by contract.
Very simple sleight of hand for the Azeri’s and Israeli’s that gets the mission done.
If I had a map or satellite photos of it I would not publish it.
I would probably keep it for further examination.
Ditto.
This was a leak from somone in the State Department, DOD, CIA or even someone in Obama’s office to under cut Israel.
If you read the story Wikileaks “leaked” the story and FP picked it up. The story has been out there for quite a while.
All excellent points.
I don’t care who “leaked” it U-238.
It’s not a “secret” if it’s available to the public.
.
The genie is out of the bottle.
Now you have to find who leaked it.
earlier on FR:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2865713/posts
Sure would have been, if it had remained secret.
But if you read further in the article, it is clear that the airfield issue, the crux of the damaging leak, came from US government sources.
"according to several high-level sources I've spoken with inside the U.S. government, Obama administration officials now believe that the "submerged" aspect of the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance -- the security cooperation between the two countries -- is heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran.
In particular, four senior diplomats and military intelligence officers say that the United States has concluded that Israel has recently been granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border. To do what, exactly, is not clear. "The Israelis have bought an airfield," a senior administration official told me in early February, "and the airfield is called Azerbaijan."
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