A drone strike on Nakhchivan Airport injured two civilians and damaged the passenger terminal of the region’s international airport on Thursday, according to Azerbaijani authorities.
Officials said two drones targeted Nakhchivan International Airport, an exclave of Azerbaijan located near the border with Iran.
Airport terminal hit
Authorities reported that one drone struck the airport’s passenger terminal building, while another fell near a school in the nearby village of Shakarabad.
Emergency crews quickly arrived at the scene after the explosions. Local officials confirmed that two civilians suffered injuries in the incident.
Azerbaijan strongly condemned the attack.
“We strongly condemn these drone attacks launched from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which resulted in damage to the airport building and injuries of two civilians,” an official statement said.
Azerbaijan seeks explanation
Following the drone strike on Nakhchivan Airport, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador and demanded an explanation.
Officials in Baku asked Tehran to provide clarification “within the shortest possible timeframe” and warned that such incidents must not happen again.
Authorities also released video footage showing a drone flying toward the airport and emergency crews responding to the damage at the terminal building.
Iran denies responsibility
Iran has denied any involvement in the drone strike on Nakhchivan Airport.
In a statement carried by state media, the Iranian general staff said the country’s armed forces did not launch a drone toward Azerbaijan.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran denies its armed forces launched a drone toward the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the statement said.
Nakhchivan lies close to the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, a sensitive region as tensions in the wider Middle East continue to rise amid the ongoing war involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
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