Azerbaijan's State Security Service (SSS) announced Friday it has stopped Iran from committing terror attacks against four targets: the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, a leader of the Mountain Jews religious community, and the "Ashkenazi" synagogue.
According to the SSS, Iran's intelligence service, SEPAH, orchestrated planned terrorist and intelligence operations, assigning local operatives for surveillance, weapons acquisition, and transportation. Explosives were smuggled into the country by Iranian nationals in coordination with Azerbaijani accomplices. Authorities found over 7.7 kilograms of C-4 explosives and additional devices, including a remote-controlled bomb.
Following preventive operations, several individuals were detained. Four were sentenced to prison for involvement in the plot, while others are under arrest for attempted assassination or illegal weapons possession. A SEPAH officer, Colonel Ali Asgar Bordbar Sherami, was identified as a key organizer, and several Iranian nationals involved are now on the international wanted list.
These announcements follow an Iranian drone attack on Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan, which injured civilians and damaged infrastructure. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev accused Tehran of committing an "act of terror" and vowed retaliation.