Azerbaijan grants Israel use of its air bases: Prelude to Iranian strike?

Jerusalem

It is being reported that Jerusalem and Baku have made a deal which may increase the probability of an Israeli strike against Iran:

‘Baku granted Israel access to airbases for Iran strike’

Jerusalem Post – March 29, 2012

Azerbaijan has granted Israel access to airbases in its territory along Iran’s northern border for potential use in a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities…According to the Foreign Policy report, the Obama administration believes the Jerusalem-Baku relationship is raising the risk of an Israeli strike on Iran.…A report published last month in The Times of London stated that Azerbaijan is teeming with Mossad agents working to collect intelligence on the Islamic Republic of Iran, quoting an unnamed agent as saying that Baku was “ground zero for intelligence work.” http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=263894

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Israel’s Secret Staging Ground

Foreign Policy …

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…”The Israelis have bought an airfield,” a senior administration official told me in early February, “and the airfield is called Azerbaijan.”…

Israel’s deepening relationship with the Baku government was cemented in February by a $1.6 billion arms agreement that provides Azerbaijan with sophisticated drones and missile-defense systems. At the same time, Baku’s ties with Tehran have frayed: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/28/israel_s_secret_staging_ground

Azerbaijan is located on the northern end of the Iranian border. Interestingly, a significant number of people who speak the Azerbaijani language live in Iran. Here are some comments from Wikipedia about it:

Azerbaijan…the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası) is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the northwest…

Furthermore the country is known to be among the most progressive and secular Islamic societies. Aside from having been the first Muslim country to have operas, theater plays, and a democratic republic, Azerbaijan today is among the Muslim countries where support for secularism and tolerance is the highest…

Azerbaijani (also called Azeri) is the most widely spoken language in the country and is spoken by about a quarter of the population of Iran…

The USA is apparently trying to dissuade Israel from launching an attack in unusual manners. Notice one:

US thwarting Israeli strike on Iran
29 March 2012…

The United States is leaking information to the media in order to avert an Israeli strike in Iran: The US Administration recently shifted into high gear in its efforts to avert an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the end of the year. The flood of reports in the American media in recent weeks attests not only to the genuine US fear that Israel intends to realize its threats; moreover, it indicates that the Obama Administration has decided to take its gloves off. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4209836,00.html

Israel and the USA keep playing an unusual game for two supposedly close allies. Israel apparently believes that the USA will have to support it, should it attack Iran in a presidential campaign year. The USA apparently believes that if it keeps revealing Israeli plans, that Israel will lose enough of its surprise attack advantage that it will wait. This really has been a bit bizarre.

Even if Israel is not allowed to directly strike Iran from Azerbaijan, the security arrangements it now has with Azerbaijan undoubtedly will assist it presuming Azerbaijan does not switch sides.

Iran, as well as its ally Syria, are becoming increasingly isolated on the world scene. And although Israel is shunned, etc. by many, the fact is that Israel still believes that the USA will back it, and is also relatively convinced that semi-Iranian allies, such as Russia will not engage in a major regional war with Iran against Israel (and while an alliance between Iran and Russia is prophesied to occur, it is not prophesied for this time–but much later).

The current conflict between Iran and Israel, combined with the unrest in Syria could be setting the stage for a regional war that could have profound prophetic implications. It may be the prelude to a possible peace deal of Daniel 9:27 as well as a “backlash” helping to enable the rise of an Islamic (but not Iranian) King of the South (Daniel 11:40).

Some articles of possibly related :

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?