הדיקטטור של אזרבייג’ן, אילהם אלייב, מאיים לפגוע בקשרים הביטחוניים עם ישראל אם לא יבוטלו האישומים בפרשת אירונאוטיקס. צא”פ מונע מהתקשורת הישראלית לדווח על הפרשה. האם ישראל בונה בסיס ריגול בגבול איראן בחסות ‘עיר חכמה?’
Israeli agriculture technology and expertise will be incorporated in the first Smart City in Zangilan, #Azerbaijan. Amb @GeorgeDeek visited the site to see where this exciting #Israel–#Azerbaijan–#Italy cooperation will take place. We hope you love good cheese! pic.twitter.com/xis9CB5wNN
On June 7th, Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan announced (see above) his country had reached an agreement with the Azeri regime to build what it called a “smart city” in Zangilan, a town on the Azeri-Iran border. It’s among the territory disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan, and was conquered and occupied by the latter in the recent war they fought. The very notion of building a technologically advanced city in the midst of the abject rural poverty of this region is laughable. Read this and I think you will agree:
A street in Zangilan, Israel’s future “smart city”
‘Right here, Azerbaijan is going to build a smart city, first one in the territories, where Israeli company is going to build a dairy farm, where with the use of Israeli technology it will be possible to make dairy products, mainly milk. Then those will be given to the Italian factory, right next to it, where it is going to create dairy products, like cheese, etc,” the ambassador said in a video posted in the embassy’s official Facebook page.
Earlier it was reported that Israel will build a buffalo farm in Azerbaijan’s Zangilan region recently liberated from the Armenian occupation. The farm will be initially for 300-400 cattle heads and then be increased to 1,000 cattle heads. Buffalos in the farm will be imported from Italy. The project manager stressed that the business idea is to realize a full equipment buffalo dairy farm for high-quality production of mozzarella burrata and other buffalo cheeses in the Zangilan region.
If you can figure out why Italian cheese makers would be making fresh mozzarella buffala on the Iranian frontier, you’re smarter than I am. After that, perhaps you can explain me what water buffalos and cheese have to do with a “smart city.” Israel’s amazing diary production technology? I hardly think so. But I do like the image of Mossad agents and signals intelligence specialists disguised as Azeri milk maids running through the “smart” daily. It has a certain comedic-cinematic quality.
It seems obvious that Israel is going to build highly advanced surveillance facilities in this town and will do so under cover of the “smart city” label. Who this is going to fool, I don’t know. Least of all the Iranians.
There is one element of Israel’s purported plan that does ring true: it has a soft spot for countries which make war against neighbors, conquer their territory and then build new settlements.
Zangilan, bordering Iran, fell to Azeri forces in the war with Armenia
There is only one thing Israel would want to do here: build a listening post to penetrate Iran. It would likely be staffed by Unit 8200 SIGINT staff. It could also serve as a forward operating base for the Mossad to use in sabotaging Iranian infrastructure like its nuclear facilities, or in its assassination campaign against that country’s nuclear scientists.
For years, Israel has forged a tight relationship with Azerbaijan’s corrupt dictator Ilham Aliyev. In return for unspecified benefits proffered by Israel, he has permitted it to operate an Azeri airfield which may be used for drone surveillance flights over Iran. In the event of an Israeli air attack against Iranian nuclear sites, this facility could serve as a critical support base for such an operation. Azerbaijan has also spent billions on Israeli drones which were widely used in its war with Armenia. They offered a potent weapon against relatively defenseless Armenian military positions and made a major contribution to the Azeri victory.
Then Pres. Shimon Peres visits Azerbaijan
Despite the enormous boon to its weapons exporters, the Israeli embrace of Azerbaijan has has much more to do with its proximity to Iran. Israeli military support in the Armenian conflict was what, in effect, facilitated the Azeri conquest of Zangilan, which in turn is being offered to the Israelis on a silver platter.
Another factor recommending Azerbaijan to the Israelis is the tight control and naked corruption of the Aliyev family. It offers Israel precisely the sort of ally it prefers (cf. Saudi Arabia). It has little use for strategic partner nations which are democracies, since leadership of such countries rotates and might bring to power forces opposed to Israeli strategic initiatives like the ones in Azerbaijan.
Ex-Aeronautics CEO, Amos Matan, indicted for fraud
An article in Intelligence Online points to a major cause of friction in the Azeri-Israeli relationship. In 2017, the Israeli Aeronautics drone manufacturer sent technicians and corporate executives to pitch the Azeri military on buying its Orbiter attack drones. During meetings between the Israelis and Azeri officers the latter made an astonishing demand: to demonstrate the effectiveness of the drone, the Azeris demanded that the Israelis themselves use the weapon to attack an Armenian army position. The technicians refused. It was their job to show how the drones worked and train Azeri personnel how to fly them. They were not about to become involved in a war between two foreign countries.
However, the executives, who saw billions of dollars in sales on the line agreed to the demonstration. They donned Azeri military uniforms and flew the drones which attacked Armenian military positions. This story is under Israeli military censorship. No media outlet can report it there. However, I did here.
Aeronautics had violated the export license approved by the Israeli defense ministry for the drone weaponry. As a result, the state prosecutor opened a case against the senior executives of the company, who were charged and convicted of serious crimes. This has rankled Aliyev, who has threatened to break the strategic relationship unless the criminal convictions are quashed.
It’s clear what will happen: national security issue trumps all else, including the rule of law. These convictions will either be overturned or the president will pardon the executives. Nothing can come between Israel’s intelligence apparatus and its role in monitoring Iran.
So why wouldn’t Israel proudly offer her technology and ‘know how’ to her friends in the international community; be they in Africa, the Far East, or Azerbaijan?
@ Amnon: I remind you that the Israeli ambassador did not offer Azerbaijan a “smart dairy.” It offered a “smart city.” And one directly on the border with Iran.
Of course, Israel’s dairy industry, the wonder of the world as you describe it, is excellent cover for the Mossad and AMAN’s real intent.
You haven’t answered where the market in Azerbaijan is for Italian Buffala mozzarella. Or maybe Aliyev has a hankering for it and he’ll consume the whole production at his magnificent palaces in Baku??
I can imagine that any new Iran deal or old deal enhanced with the US and European allies that Iran agrees to with regard to nuclear arms will include curbing Israel.We cannot keep pointing at what Iran is doing that we don’t like and not expect them to point fingers at Israel. We cannot solve issues peacefully when one side acts with impunity, develops all sorts of weapons, sells them, does “funny stuff” like the above and expects that the other side will not react in defense. We are allied with Israel and so too we will need to deal with our Israel relationship in order to progress with Iran.
Granted that Bibi Shakranyahu and his government were the worst ever Israel had. While doing a lot of shitty things, setting up listening posts to tap Iran is not one of them.
No leadership of Israel ever contemplated the physical annihilation of Iran, while Iran’s leaders blatantly declare the opposite.
So please, Richard, spare us your bleeding heart tears this time.
No leadership of Israel ever contemplated the physical annihilation of Iran
That is a lie. Bibi gave a speech in front of the Dimona nuclear reactor in which he threatened Iran with nuclear annihilation. I even wrote about the speech. How do I know more about your own country’s hatred and threats against Iran than you do??
“…How do I know more about your own country’s hatred and threats against Iran than you do??…”
@Richard: perhaps because I, contrary to you, try to avoid seeing Bibi talk, hearing Bibi speak – on account of feeling nauseous?
However I do take it seriously when you present cold facts (actually mean that; no sarcasm intended) thus I did a google search for a speech at a Dimona… uhm… dairy farm 😉 where he said that anyone who threatens us with annihilation puts himself at a similar risk. Was that the threat which you were referring to? If it was, then even Bibi may enjoy mitigating circumstances here, don’t you agree? And you, Richard, as they say: took things out of context
@ Eli Gal: Bibi threatened Iran with nuclear annihilation at Dimona. I don’t care how you characterize what he said. You know and I know that he threatened to attack Iran. Further, Israeli defense ministers and chiefs of staff has made similar statements. If you don’t know about them, you should. So go and look them up too. And stop thinking Israel is white as snow when it comes to Iran. It isn’t. It’s just as bellicose and aggressive as the worst Iranian IRG general.
Richard: granted that “defense ministers and chiefs of staff have made statements”: about attacking Iranian uranium enriching facilities (which I think would be pointless anyway because it won’t be possible to destroy the whole lot), but never spoke about annihilations. Iranian generals, ayatollahs and revolutionary guards speak about annihilation. You don’t care how this is characterized; I do! For obvious reasons. And yes, Israel is definitely not white as snow; however not in this case.
@eli Gal: wrong. They spoke of annihilating Iran. Not just its nuclear facilities. Do not argue the point further. And do not post again in this thread.
Iranians only speak about annihilation in response to Israeli bellicosity. Israel could easily annihilate Iran with a few nuclear weapons. Iran can not come even close.
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Richard, what are you taking about?
Israel’s dairy industry is the envy of the world!
With her climate resistant breed, the Israeli Friesian breed, Israel has the highest national milk yield per cow (11,667 kg)..
https://www.israeldairy.com/general-view-israeli-dairy-farming/
Is it no surprise either, that Israel’s dairy industry relies heavily on computeriztaion?
https://www.israeldairy.com/regularity-of-dairy-cow-feeding-behavior-with-computer-controlled-feeders/
And with that in mind, don’t be surprised if Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is a daily exporter!
https://www.israeldairy.com/category/dairy-industry/export-dairy-producers/
So why wouldn’t Israel proudly offer her technology and ‘know how’ to her friends in the international community; be they in Africa, the Far East, or Azerbaijan?
https://www.israeldairy.com/category/international-cooperation/
Israel is a ‘smart farmer’, and only that.
Basta!
@ Amnon: I remind you that the Israeli ambassador did not offer Azerbaijan a “smart dairy.” It offered a “smart city.” And one directly on the border with Iran.
Of course, Israel’s dairy industry, the wonder of the world as you describe it, is excellent cover for the Mossad and AMAN’s real intent.
You haven’t answered where the market in Azerbaijan is for Italian Buffala mozzarella. Or maybe Aliyev has a hankering for it and he’ll consume the whole production at his magnificent palaces in Baku??
Maybe you believe that this exercise in ‘blackwashing’ Israel is clever.
The facts, however, do not bear you out, unless you believe China, Turkey and Italy are also part of the scheme.
https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/as-azerbaijan-looks-to-restore-its-karabakh-region-global-know-how-could-be-key-2021-4-30-0/
Friesian cows are Dutch. Not israeli.
@ amlac: Once Israel purchases the cows, they are “Israeli” no matter where they originate.
I can imagine that any new Iran deal or old deal enhanced with the US and European allies that Iran agrees to with regard to nuclear arms will include curbing Israel.We cannot keep pointing at what Iran is doing that we don’t like and not expect them to point fingers at Israel. We cannot solve issues peacefully when one side acts with impunity, develops all sorts of weapons, sells them, does “funny stuff” like the above and expects that the other side will not react in defense. We are allied with Israel and so too we will need to deal with our Israel relationship in order to progress with Iran.
Looks like a great place for a base!
Granted that Bibi Shakranyahu and his government were the worst ever Israel had. While doing a lot of shitty things, setting up listening posts to tap Iran is not one of them.
No leadership of Israel ever contemplated the physical annihilation of Iran, while Iran’s leaders blatantly declare the opposite.
So please, Richard, spare us your bleeding heart tears this time.
@ Eli Gal:
That is a lie. Bibi gave a speech in front of the Dimona nuclear reactor in which he threatened Iran with nuclear annihilation. I even wrote about the speech. How do I know more about your own country’s hatred and threats against Iran than you do??
“…How do I know more about your own country’s hatred and threats against Iran than you do??…”
@Richard: perhaps because I, contrary to you, try to avoid seeing Bibi talk, hearing Bibi speak – on account of feeling nauseous?
However I do take it seriously when you present cold facts (actually mean that; no sarcasm intended) thus I did a google search for a speech at a Dimona… uhm… dairy farm 😉 where he said that anyone who threatens us with annihilation puts himself at a similar risk. Was that the threat which you were referring to? If it was, then even Bibi may enjoy mitigating circumstances here, don’t you agree? And you, Richard, as they say: took things out of context
@ Eli Gal: Bibi threatened Iran with nuclear annihilation at Dimona. I don’t care how you characterize what he said. You know and I know that he threatened to attack Iran. Further, Israeli defense ministers and chiefs of staff has made similar statements. If you don’t know about them, you should. So go and look them up too. And stop thinking Israel is white as snow when it comes to Iran. It isn’t. It’s just as bellicose and aggressive as the worst Iranian IRG general.
Richard: granted that “defense ministers and chiefs of staff have made statements”: about attacking Iranian uranium enriching facilities (which I think would be pointless anyway because it won’t be possible to destroy the whole lot), but never spoke about annihilations. Iranian generals, ayatollahs and revolutionary guards speak about annihilation. You don’t care how this is characterized; I do! For obvious reasons.
And yes, Israel is definitely not white as snow; however not in this case.
@eli Gal: wrong. They spoke of annihilating Iran. Not just its nuclear facilities. Do not argue the point further. And do not post again in this thread.
Iranians only speak about annihilation in response to Israeli bellicosity. Israel could easily annihilate Iran with a few nuclear weapons. Iran can not come even close.