The shadow war between Jerusalem and Tehran has stepped into the light, revealing a sophisticated network of secret outposts that made Israel’s February 28 strikes possible. Leaked intelligence reports suggest that Israel did not act from its own borders alone, but utilized a peripheral strategy involving several of Iran's neighbors and strategic maritime partners.
Azerbaijan appears to be the linchpin of this northern front, with reports identifying multiple secret bases established weeks before the military operation. One such facility sits a mere 90 kilometers from the Iranian city of Tabriz, housing special forces, intelligence units, and search-and-rescue teams designed to recover downed pilots.
To the south, Israel’s reach extended into the Horn of Africa through a controversial diplomatic gambit in Somaliland. By becoming the first and only UN member to recognize Somaliland’s sovereignty in late 2025, Israel secured a vital relay station for long-range bombers, fundamentally altering the maritime security landscape of the Red Sea.
The logistics of the campaign also relied on silent cooperation within the Arab world, specifically through two clandestine sites in Iraq and an Iron Dome deployment in the United Arab Emirates. While host governments have issued reflexive denials to pacify domestic and regional audiences, the operational footprint suggests a level of coordination previously thought impossible in the Middle East.