Azerbaijan promised to respond to the attack of Iranian drones on its territory

Iranian drones attacked the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is an exclave of Azerbaijan. One of the drones crashed into the terminal building of the local airport, and another exploded near a school during classes. As a result of the incident, at least four people were injured. This is reported by DW.

According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four drones were launched from Iranian territory. Some of them were intercepted by air defense forces.

Attack of Iranian drones on Azerbaijan: what is known about the incident

The Azerbaijani side reported the following details of the incident:

• one drone was shot down by air defense forces;

• the second crashed into the terminal building of the international airport in Nakhchivan;

• the third exploded near a school in the village of Shakerabad;

• the fourth hit civilian infrastructure.

According to local media, strike drones Shahed-136 were likely used. Eyewitnesses published videos showing thick black smoke over the airport area, located about 10 km from the border with Iran.

Azerbaijan's reaction to the drone attack

In Baku, it was stated that the incident is a gross violation of international law and poses a threat to regional security. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs made several demands to Tehran:

• to provide official explanations;

• to conduct an investigation into the incident;

• to ensure that similar attacks do not occur in the future.

Iran's ambassador Mojtaba Demirchilu was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry for explanations. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev called the attack a terrorist act.

«The Azerbaijani state firmly condemns this heinous terrorist act. Those who committed it must be held accountable immediately», — Aliyev stated.

He stated that the country's armed forces are on alert and must be ready to conduct any operations.

Iran, for its part, denied involvement in the attack. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the country does not attack neighboring states.

«Iran's policy is to strike only at the military bases of its enemies», — he said.

In recent years, relations between Baku and Tehran have remained tense. Iran criticizes Azerbaijan's cooperation with Israel, while Baku accuses Tehran of attempting to destabilize the situation in the South Caucasus. Escalation may also affect the energy market since Azerbaijan is an important supplier of gas to Europe.

In response, Azerbaijan increased its military readiness on the border with Iran. This decision was made by the Ministry of Defense, the State Border Service, as well as the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Emergency Situations.