The Milli Majlis Commission against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats has issued a statement criticizing CNN over what it described as a deliberate “information provocation” targeting Azerbaijan.

The statement referred to a June 5 CNN World article, alleging that the report relied on anonymous sources and formed part of a coordinated disinformation effort, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“On June 5, 2026, CNN World published an article titled ‘Israel sent troops to Azerbaijan during Iran war as part of secret network across region,’ where it engaged in information provocation against Azerbaijan by citing anonymous sources,” the statement said.

The Commission said the publication was intended “to undermine the peace process in the Middle East, as well as Azerbaijan’s national interests and international standing, and constitutes part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”

It added that this was not an isolated incident, claiming that CNN and similar outlets had previously conducted “targeted information campaigns” against Azerbaijan ahead of major political or diplomatic events.

“It must be noted that this is not the first instance of CNN and similar media outlets conducting a targeted information campaign against Azerbaijan on the eve of significant diplomatic and political events, major international gatherings or processes,” the statement read.

The Commission also said its monitoring identified a rapid spread of the narrative across global media and social platforms following publication, describing it as “opportunistic amplification.”

“Monitoring conducted by the Commission has identified that immediately following the publication of this article, as a result of the so-called ‘opportunistic amplification’ tactic, the anti-Azerbaijan narrative rapidly spread across the majority of prominent media outlets worldwide, as well as social media platforms including X, Threads, Facebook, and Telegram, thereby assuming the character of a full-scale campaign,” it said.

The statement further questioned the sourcing of the report, noting its reliance on an individual allegedly known for anti-Azerbaijan positions.

“The fact that the authors concluded the story by turning to an individual consistently known for anti-Azerbaijan positions and previously active in media projects funded by the Soros Foundation provides reasonable grounds for inferring the origins of this issue,” it said.

Reiterating its official position, the Commission stressed that Azerbaijan does not host foreign military forces or bases.

“As our relevant state agencies have repeatedly stated, no foreign military forces (troops) or bases are present in our country, and the use of the territory of Azerbaijan for any hostile activities directed against third states is categorically precluded,” it said.

The Commission called on CNN to either retract the report or provide evidence supporting its claims.

“The Commission against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats calls upon CNN to either issue a public clarification acknowledging the groundlessness of this article, or to present verifiable facts substantiating its claims,” it said.

It warned that failure to do so would reinforce perceptions that CNN is involved in information operations.

“Failing to do so, CNN, by disseminating materials of broad international reach based on unverified and anonymous sources, will once again confirm its role as an instrument in information operations, false narratives, and disinformation campaigns, all of which are recognized as key components of hybrid threats,” the statement added.

By Vafa Guliyeva

Source: caliber.az