Marrakech – Iranian drones struck Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan on Thursday, hitting the international airport terminal and landing near a school, injuring at least four civilians and triggering a sharp diplomatic confrontation between the two neighbors.
The attacks occurred around noon local time. One drone struck the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport, located approximately 10 kilometres from the Iranian border.
A second drone fell near a school in the village of Shakarabad. Four people were injured and taken to hospital, where they remain in stable condition, according to Azerbaijan’s Health Ministry.
Video footage verified by Reuters showed black smoke rising near the airport and visible damage to the skylight inside the terminal building. Separate footage circulating on social media appeared to show a drone striking the airport directly before a fire broke out.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes in unambiguous terms. “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 the injury of civilians,” the ministry said in a statement. It summoned Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Demirchilou and handed him a formal note of protest.
President Ilham Aliyev went further, calling the strikes an act of state terrorism. “Today, Iran committed an act of terror against the territory of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said during a Security Council meeting, adding that Iranian officials must provide an explanation, offer an apology, and ensure criminal accountability for those responsible. The Azerbaijani army was subsequently placed on full combat readiness.
Read also: Death Toll in Iran Rises to 1,230, War Spreads Across Region
The Defence Ministry in Baku said it was investigating the types of drones used and was “preparing the necessary retaliatory measures to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.” It added plainly: “These attacks will not remain unanswered.”
Tehran denied any involvement. Iran’s armed forces general staff said in a statement carried by state television that the Islamic Republic had not launched drones toward Azerbaijan.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi echoed the denial, telling Azerbaijani outlet AnewZ: “We do not attack our neighboring countries.” Iranian state media attributed the incident to Israel, framing it as part of a broader effort to drive a wedge between Muslim-majority states.
Azerbaijan has a predominantly Muslim population (over 97%) with a Shia majority, estimated at 55-65% or higher, making it the second-largest Shia population by percentage after Iran.
The incident marks the first Iranian strike on a Caucasus state since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran and raises serious questions about the conflict’s geographic expansion. Analysts noted that Azerbaijan hosts no US military bases, suggesting Iran may be widening its strikes beyond countries directly linked to American military presence.
Relations between Baku and Tehran were already strained before Thursday’s attacks. Azerbaijan has deepened its military and economic ties with Israel and Turkey in recent years, drawing persistent Iranian accusations that Baku was allowing its territory to be used for intelligence operations against Tehran.
Iran has also long opposed the proposed Zangezur corridor connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan through Armenian territory, fearing it would isolate Iran from the Caucasus and bring hostile forces closer to its borders.
The attacks also carry regional implications. Under mutual defence agreements, Turkey is bound to support Azerbaijan in the event of armed aggression. Nakhchivan airport, meanwhile, sits within a critical air corridor used by flights between Asia and Europe avoiding Russian airspace – any further disruption risks cascading effects on international aviation.
