Azerbaijan president vows retaliation after Iran 'terrorist' drone strikes

Iran's armed forces denied launching an attack on Azerbaijan and have blamed Israel for the strikes.

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BAKU: Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of 'terrorism' and threatened retaliation after a pair of Iranian drones flew across the border into Azerbaijan and injured four people at an airport in the Nakhchivan exclave. 

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

Azerbaijan's military "has been instructed to prepare and carry out retaliatory measures" and "placed on mobilisation level number one, and must be ready to conduct any operation", he added.

Iran's armed forces denied having launched a drone attack on Azerbaijan. 

"The Islamic Republic of Iran ... denies its armed forces launched a drone toward the Republic of Azerbaijan," the general staff of the armed forces said in a statement, according to state TV, which also blamed Israel.

"Such actions by the Zionist regime, aimed at disrupting relations between Muslim countries in various ways, are not unprecedented."

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry earlier on Thursday lodged an official protest with the Iranian embassy.

"This attack on the territory of Azerbaijan contradicts the norms and principles of international law and contributes to increased tensions in the region," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"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."

The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan has been summoned to the foreign ministry to receive a formal note of protest, Baku said.

Azerbaijan's ministry said one drone fell on the terminal building of the Nakhchivan International Airport, which is approximately 10km across the border from Iran, and another drone landed close to a school building in a nearby village.

A source close to the Azerbaijani government told Reuters a fire had started as a result of the incident.

Video footage shared by the source showed black smoke rising near the airport and damage to the skylight inside the terminal building.

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