The moment of the drone strike. Screenshot: 1NEWS.AZ
Several Iranian Shahed attack drones struck targets in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on Thursday, according to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The ministry confirmed earlier reports that the drones had been launched at the Azerbaijani exclave, which borders Iran, at around midday local time. One of the drones hit the airport terminal in the regional capital Nakhchivan, some 10km from the Iranian border, injuring two people. Another drone fell near a school in the village of Shakarabad.
Earlier, state owned Azerbaijani news agency APA reported explosions near the region’s airport and shared videos of what it said was the aftermath of the strike, though the authenticity of the footage has not been verified.
The ministry said it “strongly condemned” the attacks, saying that they “contradict the norms and principles of international law and contribute to increasing regional tensions,” and added that Baku had summoned Iran’s ambassador to deliver a formal protest.
Calling on Tehran to provide an explanation for the attacks and to take urgent steps to prevent similar incidents, the ministry added that Azerbaijan reserved the right to take retaliatory measures.
The United States and Israel began a campaign of airstrikes against Iran on Saturday, which has already led to the deaths of over 1,000 civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Unlike most of the other countries in the region that Iran has struck in retaliatory airstrikes, however, Azerbaijan does not host any US military facilities.
