Azerbaijan vows retaliation after Iran’s ‘terrorist’ strikes

BAKU: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of “terrorism” and threatened retaliation after drone attacks Thursday wounded four people — an incident that could drag yet another country into the Middle East war.

Tehran denied the allegation and blamed Israel, Azerbaijan’s ally, of trying to stage a provocation.

The midday attacks involved at least four drones that crossed from Iran into Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan bordering Iran, Baku said.

“Today a terrorist act was carried out from the Iranian side against the territory of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev told a hastily convened security council meeting.

Azerbaijan’s military “have been instructed to prepare and carry out retaliatory measures … placed on mobilization level number one, and must be ready to conduct any operation,” he said.

“Those dishonorable people who committed this terrorist act against us will regret it. Let them not test our strength… This stain will never be erased from their dirty and ugly face,” he added.

The Azerbaijani defense ministry said it had detected four drones launched by Iran’s army.

“One of them was disabled by the Azerbaijani army, while the others were directed at civilian infrastructure, including a secondary school building during class hours. Fortunately, the drone targeting the school did not reach its objective and instead fell and exploded near the school,” it said.

The Nakhichevan Airport terminal was damaged, the foreign ministry said, with video showing grey smoke rising above the building after the strike.

Four people were hospitalized with “traumatic brain injuries,” Sahib Abuzarov, head of emergency services at a hospital in Nakhichevan said later.

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