An Israeli media report published Wednesday claiming that Azerbaijan is "deeply dissatisfied" with Israel over an Armenian-made suicide drone that resembles the IAI Harop has been disputed by regional experts and officials, who questioned its sourcing and warned it could play into the hands of those looking to undermine one of Israel's most important strategic partnerships.
The report, published by Globes, cited an unnamed defense industry source who said that the technological know-how behind Armenia's Dragonfly 3 loitering munition, unveiled last October by Armenian firm Davaro, likely reached Yerevan through India, which operates the Harop under Indian Prime Minister Modi's "Make in India" technology transfer requirements.
The Harop, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, was widely used by Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and is in active service with several armies, including India's, which has reported operational use in recent regional clashes.
"There haven't been any reports in Azerbaijani media on this matter, nor have I heard anything from high-ranking sources working on the relationship from either the Israeli or Azerbaijani side," said Joseph Epstein, Director of the Turan Research Center at the Yorktown Institute and a research fellow at Bar-Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
"Even if India did leak such technology, Azerbaijan would surely understand that this was not an intentional move by Israel, as military technology transfers to Armenia are just as dangerous for Jerusalem as they are for Baku, given Yerevan's close relations with Tehran," he said.
A senior Azerbaijani source was equally blunt, pointing to recent energy and technology cooperation, as well as a standing invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, as indicators that officials in Baku do not view the report as reflecting the current state of ties.
"Azerbaijan operates some of the most advanced Israeli defense systems in the world and understands exactly how technology proliferation works. Baku knows Israel didn't hand Armenia this capability. The only ones who benefit from suggesting otherwise are those looking to create friction where none exists," the source said.
The report comes as both countries deepen ties on several fronts.
On February 3, Israel and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding on artificial intelligence at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, during which Netanyahu invited Aliyev to visit the capital.
That deal followed a landmark agreement last March that granted Azerbaijan's state oil company, SOCAR, a gas exploration license in Israeli Mediterranean waters and a stake in the Tamar gas field.
Sources familiar with the relationship describe it as stable and strategically significant, dismissing speculation of friction. Epstein said that, in his view, Iran stands to benefit from narratives that cast doubt on Israel-Azerbaijan ties, and that other regional actors could also exploit such claims.
Israel Aerospace Industries issued a brief statement saying it "does not recognize the assessments mentioned in the article" and that it operates in all international collaborations "solely in accordance with the law and the guidelines of the Defense Ministry."