Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry and state media are reporting two drone strikes in the exclave of Nakhchivan, which lies between northwestern Iran and Armenia.
One drone crashed into the main airport there, about 10 miles from the Iranian border, reportedly causing a fire. The other crashed into a school compound. Four civilians were reportedly injured.
"Today, the Iranian side committed a terrorist act against the territory of Azerbaijan," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a meeting with the country's Security Council.
The Iranian military has denied launching attacks against its neighbor, the General Staff said on state television, accusing Israel of trying to sow division between the neighboring Muslim countries.
Highest readiness
Regardless, the Azerbaijani president announced that the military has been put on high alert and ordered it to prepare and carry out retaliatory measures.
In an initial statement, Azerbaijan condemned it as an attack and demanded a detailed explanation from Iran as soon as possible. The Iranian ambassador was summoned for talks.
“The Azerbaijani side reserves the right to take appropriate retaliatory measures,” the message read.
The country's Defense Ministry then went a step further, saying the drone strikes would not go unanswered. President Aliyev then warned of revenge for an alleged terrorist attack.
Showed his support
Azerbaijan's military had already reinforced its positions along the border with Iran during the recent war. President Aliyev also visited Iran's embassy the other day to express his condolences following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Azerbaijan's foreign minister was also reported to have recently spoken to his Iranian counterpart on the phone and assured that no other countries would be allowed to attack Iran from Azerbaijani soil.
There are around ten million Azeris in Iran. They are one of the country's largest minority groups, and there have historically been separatist tendencies.
