Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of ‘terrorism’ and threatened retaliation after four people were wounded on Thursday in drone attacks on an airport and near a school amid the escalating conflict between US-Israel and Iran in West Asia.FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

Speaking at a Security Council meeting he chaired, Aliyev said Iranian drones targeted civilian sites including Nakhchivan International Airport, its terminal building and a school. “A terror act has been committed against the territory of Azerbaijan and against the Azerbaijani state," he said.

Aliyev said Iran must provide an explanation and apologise, and that those responsible must face criminal liability. He warned that the country’s military “has been instructed to prepare and carry out retaliatory measures" and “placed on mobilisation level number one, and must be ready to conduct any operation."

Azerbaijan also summoned Iran’s ambassador after drone attacks on the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, and also raised the matter in talks with Turkey, reportedIran International.

ALSO READ:Iranian Drones Hit Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Airport, Terrifying Footage Shows Impact

Iran Denies Striking Azerbaijan

Despite Azerbaijan’s anger over the Iranian drone attack, Iran’s Deputy Foreign ​Minister Kazem Gharibabadi denied Tehran had targeted Nakhchivan. “We do not attack our neighbouring countries," he told Azerbaijani ​outlet AnewZ.

According to Azerbaijani authorities, one of the drones fell on the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport, which is approximately 10 km (6 miles) across the border from Iran, ​and another drone landed close to a school building in a nearby village. One was downed by ​the Azerbaijani army and another hit civilian infrastructure.

The four injured were taken to the hospital, where they are in stable condition, the Health Ministry ⁠in the ​landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan bordering Armenia, Iran and Turkey told ​Reuters. Any damage to Azerbaijan’s infrastructure could drive global energy prices even higher, as it is a major oil and gas producer.

Azerbaijan and Iran already have tense relations over Baku’s ​growing economic, energy and military ties to Turkey and Israel. ​The escalating US-Iran war has further heightened the risks of violence between the neighbours.

Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News