️ Iranian drones struck Azerbaijan’s autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, marking a new front in the ongoing regional conflict. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a release that the incident occurred around 12:00 local time on Thursday, with one drone hitting the terminal building at Nakhchivan Airport and another falling near a school building in the village of Shakarabad. The ministry strongly condemned the attacks launched from Iranian territory, noting that two civilians were injured and material damage was inflicted at the airport.
️ The Azerbaijani government’s statement demanded “a clear explanation” from Iran and asserted that the country “reserves the right to take appropriate response measures.” Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Demirchilou was summoned over the incident. Nakhchivan, which borders Iran and Turkey, was part of a historic peace deal brokered by the United States regime last year between former adversaries Armenia and Azerbaijan.
️ Dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), this land corridor granted the US regime development rights for the proposed route connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave and creating a passage between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Iran has long opposed the planned transit route, also known as the Zangezur corridor, fearing it would sever the country’s access to Armenia and the rest of the Caucasus while bringing potentially hostile foreign forces closer to its borders.
️ Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar noted, “Iran has long been accusing the Azeri government of turning Azerbaijan into an Israeli spy base.” Serdar added, “They are accusing [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev of undermining Iran’s security from its northern border. Iran said multiple times that if Azerbaijan did not stop, it would be punished.” According to Serdar, Thursday’s drone strikes sent a clear message to the Azerbaijani government.
️ The drone attacks in Nakhchivan come amid reports of further Iranian drone strikes targeting countries across the region. Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems intercepted a missile attack as multiple explosions were heard in the skies above Doha. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence stated that the latest drone sent into its territory was shot down near the al-Jawf region, while Oman Oil Marketing Company reported damage to one of its storage tanks.
️ Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence said on Wednesday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran towards Turkish airspace was destroyed by NATO air and missile defence systems over the eastern Mediterranean after passing over Syria and Iraq. Iran’s armed forces issued a statement on Thursday denying having fired any missiles towards Turkish territory. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed the country was “taking all the necessary precautions” in consultation with its NATO allies and issuing “warnings in the clearest terms to prevent similar incidents from happening again.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com