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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to make an official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, in early May, where he'll meet with President Ilham Aliyev. The visit comes against the backdrop of renewed nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, the country’s neighbor, and is expected to focus on ongoing negotiations regarding Turkey's military presence in Syria.
The agenda will also include discussions on Azerbaijan possibly joining the Abraham Accords, expanding bilateral ties with Israel and strengthening Baku’s influence in Central Asia. The meeting follows a visit by U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff during which Azerbaijan positioned itself as a mediator in regional stabilization efforts.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev
(Photo: Amos Ben Gershon, GPO)
Aliyev recently held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s new president, Mohammad al-Sharaa, further cementing his role as a major regional player. Both the U.S. and Israel reportedly view Aliyev as a unique figure capable of bridging divides among key regional actors.
In January, Azerbaijan’s Special State Protection Service (SPS) foiled a terror plot allegedly orchestrated by Iran, targeting a senior member of the country’s Jewish community. Earlier this month, The Washington Post identified the intended target as Rabbi Shneor Segal, citing Western and Middle Eastern intelligence sources.
According to the report, the would-be assassin — a Georgian drug trafficker named Agil Aslanov — met last fall with a Quds Force officer who gave him detailed instructions on how to kill the rabbi.
Aslanov allegedly agreed to carry out the murder for $200,000. He and a local accomplice were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act. Authorities believe the pair also planned to attack an educational center.
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Over the past few years, Azerbaijani authorities have thwarted several plots against Israeli and Jewish targets, including attempted attacks on the Israeli embassy. In March 2023, Baku accused Iran of orchestrating the attempted assassination of Fazil Mustafa, a lawmaker known for his outspoken criticism of the Islamic Republic.
Mustafa was wounded outside his home by gunfire in what officials described as a terror attack. He later told local media the shooters had been paid by "masters in Iran." Five individuals were convicted last summer of treason and attempted assassination of a public official, receiving prison sentences ranging from four years to life.
Azerbaijan, located just north of Iran, has long had tense relations with Tehran. The friction stems from Iran’s treatment of its large Azeri minority, its support for Armenia — Azerbaijan’s rival — and its strategic ties with Israel, which supplies Baku with significant quantities of weapons.
In early 2023, Azerbaijan closed its embassy in Tehran after an attack that Baku also labeled a terrorist act. The embassy’s head of security was killed in the shooting and two guards were wounded.
Iran claimed the assailant was driven by “personal and family issues.” Amid the diplomatic fallout, both countries expelled each other’s diplomats. After months of negotiations, Azerbaijan reopened its embassy in Iran in July of last year.