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5 March, 10:56
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Azerbaijan vows to retaliate Iran’s drone strikes that kill four civilians

Azerbaijan on Thursday said it would retaliate after Iran launched drone attacks on an airport and near a school, injuring four civilians, in a sign that the war in the Middle East is spreading.

Azerbaijani President described the attack as “a groundless act of terror” that will not be tolerated. In a strong-worded speech, Aliyev said Azerbaijan's military has been instructed “to prepare and implement retaliatory measures.” He further stressed that “Iranian officials must provide an explanation to the Azerbaijani side, an apology must be offered, and those who committed this terrorist act must be held criminally liable.” The Azerbaijani leader stressed that his country was not involved in any operations against neighbouring countries, explaining that “our policy does not allow it”. The added that Iran's “actions contradict the norms and principles of international law and contribute to increased tension in the region,” Aliyev stated.

At least two drones were fired from Iran at Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran. One drone fell at an airport, while another fell near a school. Four civilians were injured in the attack, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office. The defence ministry said 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.” Following the attack, the Cabinet of Ministers announced the closure of the border with Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijani was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey Baku’s protest. Ankara also condemned the attack, with Turkish Foreign Ministry urging a halt to strikes that target “third countries in the region and increase the risk of the war spreading.”

Visuals circulated online captures moments of the drone strikes on the airport and the civilian area. Meanwhile, some media outlets reported that the army has been put on combat alert and deployed to the border with Iran. The Defene Ministry has not commented on the reports on troops mobilization.

Iran, however, denied its drones struck neighbouring Azerbaijan. Tehran has been increasingly concerned about Azerbaijan’s close ties with Israel as well as US and Israel potentially leveraging Iran’s ethnic Azerbaijani minorities to destabilize the country.