TwoIranian dronesstruck Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave on Thursday, hitting a civilian airport terminal and landing near a school in what Azerbaijan called a violation of international law. Two civilians were injured. No deaths have been reported.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the unmanned aerial vehicles were launched from Iranian territory and hit the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic around noon on 5 March. One drone crashed into the passenger terminal of Nakhchivan International Airport, causing structural damage. A second came down near a school building in the village of Shekarabad,according to Euronews.
Video footage showed a drone approaching the airport before a large explosion sent black smoke above the terminal. Clips from inside the building showed ceiling damage and people running from the scene.
A drone just hit Nakhcivan Airport, Azerbaijan, bordering Iranhttps://t.co/ZyYtrnymc5pic.twitter.com/SjlWNmxdzj
Iran's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Damirchilou, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where officials delivered a formal protest note,AzerNews reported.
'We strongly condemn these drone attacks carried out from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which resulted in damage to the airport building and the injury of two civilians,' the Foreign Ministry said. It demanded a 'clear explanation' from Tehran and said Azerbaijan 'reserves the right to take appropriate retaliatory measures.'
Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry issued a separate statement confirming that Iranian armed forces had launched UAV attacks on the airport and other civilian sites. 'These attacks will not go unanswered,' it said, adding that response measures to protect Azerbaijan's sovereignty were being prepared,TRT World reported. The technical specifications of the drones remain under investigation.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Azerbaijani outlet AnewZ minutes after the strike that he had only just heard of the incident and needed to investigate. Targeting neighbouring countries was not Iran's policy, he said, 'unless the military bases of our adversaries, namely the Zionist regime and the United States of America, are active there,'OC Mediadisclosed.
Azerbaijan has denied that its territory has been used to stage attacks on Iran. Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi earlier this week that it was 'impossible for any country to use the territory of Azerbaijan against neighbouring and friendly Iran.'
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has responded to reports that drones struck Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan, saying Tehran does not target neighbouring countries and that the incident must be investigated.Gharibabadi who was speaking to AnewZ…pic.twitter.com/zkL9OVOPfB
Source: International Business Times UK
