Azerbaijan said it was planning to retaliate after two people were injured on Thursday by Iranian drone strikes on an airport and near a school.
According to a foreign ministry statement, at least two drones entered Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan, which borders Iran and is separated from mainland Azerbaijan by Armenia, during the noon attacks.
“One drone fell on the terminal building of Nakhichevan Airport, while another drone fell near a school building in the village of Shekerabad,” the ministry stated, adding that the aircraft wounded two civilians and damaged the airport.
The defense ministry in Baku noted it was “preparing the necessary retaliatory measures to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country and to ensure the safety of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
“These acts of attack will not go unanswered,” it added.
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said it summoned the Iranian envoy in Baku to register a “strong protest” over the incident, which “contradicts the norms and principles of international law and contributes to rising tensions in the region.”
“Azerbaijan reserves the right to take appropriate retaliatory measures,” it added.
Iran has long expressed worry that Israel, Azerbaijan’s close friend and major arms supplier, could use Azerbaijani territory to launch assaults.
Following Israel’s large-scale strike on Iranian targets in June, Azerbaijan promised Iran that its territory would not be used for attacks on Tehran.
Tehran has long been apprehensive of separatist aspirations within its ethnic Azerbaijani minority, which accounts for approximately 10 million of Iran’s 83 million citizens.
