File image.
Azerbaijan on March 5 warned that it could retaliate against Iran after holding the Islamic Republic responsible for a drone attack that targeted its territories.
Iran’s retaliatory attacks reached many neighboring countries amid an intense joint United States-Israeli air campaign that began over the weekend.
The attack saw two drones crossing from Iran into the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan, which borders Iran and is separated from mainland Azerbaijan by Armenia, according to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
“One drone fell on the terminal building of Nakhichevan Airport, while another drone fell near a school building in the village of Shekerabad,” the ministry said in a statement, noting that the airport was damaged and two civilians were wounded.
It also said that the Iranian envoy in Baku was summoned to express “strong protest” over the attack, which “contradicts the norms and principles of international law and contributes to rising tensions in the region.”
“Azerbaijan reserves the right to take appropriate retaliatory measures,” the ministry said.
“We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran clarify the matter in the shortest possible time, provide an explanation, and take the necessary urgent measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future,” it added.
Videos that surfaced online after the attack showed a drone impacting the airport, then black smoke rising nearby and damage to the skylight inside the terminal building.
The Iranian military later denied launching drones towards Azerbaijan, saying in a statement that Israel conducted a false flag operation “to turn Muslim countries against the Islamic Republic”.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, while respecting the sovereignty of all countries, especially Muslim and neighboring countries, denies the launch of drones by the armed forces towards the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the General Staff said in a statement.
“Such actions by the fake Zionist regime to disrupt relations between Muslim countries have been preceded in various ways, and according to investigations, such action was taken by that regime to incriminate the Islamic Republic of Iran,” it added.
Azerbaijan is a close ally of Israel, and during the 12-day June war last there were rumors of Israeli drones being launched against Iran from its territories. The Islamic Republic made no official accusations, however, and relations between the two sides remained as before.
Nakhichevan Airport has a military section, but no Israeli or even American military assets are known to be deployed there.
Just a day earlier, Iran was also accused of firing a ballistic missile at Turkey, reportedly targeting Incirlik Air Base in the south of the country. The missile was intercepted by NATO air defenses. Ankara reserved the right to respond, but Tehran denied responsibility.
Earlier, the Islamic Republic denied involvement in the March 2 attack on Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery and blamed Israel for an alleged “false flag” operation.
The Iranian claims should be taken very seriously as widening the scale of the ongoing war would directly benefit Israel and the U.S.
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everyone reserves the right to defend themselves but iran 🇮🇷 smh. 🤦
i told you be careful of my big crooked nose! that was always a big red flag