Image source: topwar.ru
It became known that even before the troops entered and took control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan had been buying weapons from Israel for several years. This is reported by the international news agency Associated Press (Associated Press, AP News) with reference to Armenian sources.
Armenian Ambassador to Israel Arman Hakobyan told the agency.
Data from online flight tracking services are provided as evidence that Israel carried out military supplies to Baku for at least several weeks before the troops entered Nagorno-Karabakh. It follows from them that before the start of the Azerbaijani military operation, military cargo planes repeatedly flew between the southern Israeli airbase and the airfield near Nagorno-Karabakh. These flights alarmed the Armenian government, which fears a strategic alliance between Israel and Azerbaijan, AP News writes.
Earlier, the Western press reported that Azerbaijan had signed several contracts with the Italian government for the supply of military equipment and weapons, including mini-submarines, totaling about five million euros. However, after the troops entered Nagorno-Karabakh, Rome suspended the deal due to a legislative ban on the export of weapons to warring countries. Then it seems that Baku began negotiations with Israel and Turkey on the purchase of weapons.
If we believe the statements of the Armenian side, it turns out that Azerbaijan was purchasing weapons in different countries long before the troops entered Nagorno-Karabakh. This is confirmed by the statement of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who in July, during a visit to Baku, highly appreciated the military cooperation of the countries and the joint "fight against terrorism." The Israeli leadership does not hide that military-political cooperation with Baku is aimed at countering Iran.
There is a purely economic component in this union of the two states. Azerbaijan provides at least forty percent of Israel's oil needs. In addition, according to experts, the share of Israeli military exports to Azerbaijan is about 70 percent of the total sales of Israeli weapons abroad. Moreover, the first deliveries of Israeli weapons began in 2016, the news agency reports.
