Azerbaijan says two people injured by Iranian drones


BAKU, March ⁠5 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's foreign ministry lodged an official protest ⁠with the Iranian embassy on Thursday after a pair ‌of Iranian drones flew across the border into Azerbaijan and injured two people at an airport in the Nakhchivan exclave.

"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.

The statement ⁠said Azerbaijan reserved the right to ​carry out "appropriate response measures" against Tehran.

Azerbaijan's ministry said one drone fell on the terminal building of the Nakhchivan International Airport, ⁠which is approximately 10 km (6 miles) 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.

(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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