BAKU: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of &quot;terrorism&quot; and threatened retaliation after drone attacks Thursday targeted an airport and a school in an Azerbaijani border region, an incident that could drag yet another country into the Mideast war.&nbsp;Tehran denied the allegation and blamed Israel, Azerbaijan&#39;s ally, of trying to stage a provocation.&nbsp;The midday attacks involved at least four drones that crossed from Iran into Azerbaijan&#39;s exclave of Nakhchivan bordering Iran, with one hitting the airport and another exploding near a school, Baku said.&nbsp;Video footage published by Azerbaijani media showed what appeared to be a drone crashing into the ground and exploding near the school, followed by loud screams from children in the building.&nbsp;AFP could not verify the footage.&nbsp;&quot;Today a terrorist act was carried out from the Iranian side against the territory of Azerbaijan,&quot; Aliyev told a hastily convened security council meeting.&nbsp;Azerbaijan&#39;s military &quot;have been instructed to prepare and carry out retaliatory measures ... placed on mobilisation level number one, and must be ready to conduct any operation,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;Those dishonourable 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,&quot; he added.&nbsp;The Azerbaijani defence ministry said it had detected four drones launched by Iran&#39;s army.&nbsp;&quot;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,&quot; it said.&nbsp;The Nakhichevan Airport terminal was damaged, with video showing grey smoke rising above the building after the strike.&nbsp;Four people were hospitalised with &quot;traumatic brain injuries,&quot; Sahib Abuzarov, head of emergency services at a hospital in Nakhichevan said later.&nbsp;The general staff of Iran&#39;s armed forces said it did not carry out the attack and pointed the finger at Israel.&nbsp;&quot;Such actions by the Zionist regime, aimed at disrupting relations between Muslim countries in various ways, are not unprecedented,&quot; it said in a statement.&nbsp;Azerbaijan-Israel partnershipFrance&#39;s foreign ministry said the &quot;unjustifiable&quot; attack &quot;constitutes a blatant violation of Azerbaijan&#39;s sovereignty and of international law.&quot;&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s foreign ministry condemned strikes &quot;which target third countries in the region and increase the risk of the war spreading.&quot;&nbsp;Azerbaijan summoned the Iranian envoy in Baku over the incident.&nbsp;&quot;We demanded from the Islamic Republic of Iran to provide, within the shortest possible timeframe, a clear explanation regarding the case and conduct investigation,&quot; foreign ministry spokesman, Aykhan Hajizada, told AFP.&nbsp;Analysts have said Azerbaijan&#39;s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline -- which runs through neighboring Georgia and Turkey and carries around a third of Israel&#39;s oil imports -- could become a potential target for the Iranian military.&nbsp;In 2024, Azerbaijan exported 2.37 million tonnes of oil to Israel via the pipeline, director of the Baku-based Centre for Oil Research, Ilham Shaban, told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;The pipeline is buried underground along most of its route, making it difficult to disable,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;above-ground facilities -- such as terminals and pumping stations -- could still be vulnerable to Iranian drone strikes.&quot;&nbsp;Iran has long expressed concern that Israel -- a close ally of Azerbaijan and a key arms supplier -- could use Azerbaijani territory to stage attacks.&nbsp;Last June, Azerbaijan reassured Tehran that it would not allow such use of its territory after Israel launched a large-scale strike on Iranian targets.&nbsp;Tehran has historically been wary of separatist sentiment among its ethnic Azerbaijani minority, which makes up around 10 million of Iran&#39;s 83 million citizens.

Asia

Azerbaijan accused Iran of launching drones into Nakhchivan, damaging an airport and near a school, injuring four. President Ilham Aliyev ordered retaliatory readiness, escalating regional tensions. Iran denied involvement, blaming Israel.

Azerbaijan vows retaliation after Iran's 'terrorist' drone strikes

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan passed on to Iran Saudi assurances that their territory would not be used for attacks against it. This resulted in minimal or no attacks by Iran on Saudi Arabia and Oman during the recent escalation, said Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday.&nbsp;Addressing a media briefing at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, the foreign minister said that Pakistan remains engaged in &quot;shuttle communication&quot; to de-escalate the recent situation in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dar said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and mentioned the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed in September 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;Based on the agreement, Dar said that he sought assurances from the Saudis and passed them on to the Iranian side, reiterating that Saudi territory would not be used for attacks against Iran. Because of these assurances, he said, there have been minimal or no Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and Oman during the recent escalation.&nbsp;In the session, the foreign minister said that he has been in contact with foreign ministers of Turkey, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain, as well as representatives from the European Union, to promote diplomacy and dialogue.&nbsp;Regarding Afghanistan, Dar said that Pakistan continues to pursue regional connectivity, specifically a rail project connecting Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan.&nbsp;He expressed disappointment that the current Afghan regime has failed to prevent its soil from being used by terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).&nbsp;Addressing concerns about stranded Pakistanis in Iran and the Gulf region amid the fluid security situation, Foreign Minister Dar noted that, with the exception of Oman and Saudi Arabia, most airspace in the region is currently closed.&nbsp;To assist stuck citizens, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated its Crisis Management Unit, which is operational 24/7.&nbsp;&nbsp;The minister said that 792 Pakistanis have already returned from Iran through various border points: 694 via Taftan, 59 via Ramdan, and 39 via Astara. Additionally, 46 students returned through Taftan and 62 through Ramdan, he added.&nbsp;Because the northern part of Iran is closer to Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan government is providing &quot;Visa on Arrival&quot; and logistical support to Pakistanis, he added. So far, 64 Pakistanis have reached Azerbaijan from Iran; 42 have arrived in Lahore via Azal Airlines&nbsp;&lsquo;Unwarranted&rsquo;Earlier, Foreign Minister Dar sharply condemned the recent attack on Iran and the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an immediate halt to regional escalation through diplomacy.&nbsp;Addressing the Senate, Dar described the Feb. 28 strike against Iran as &quot;unwarranted&quot; and expressed deep concern over the violation of international law, noting the &quot;age-old convention&quot; that heads of state should not be targeted.&nbsp;&quot;The government and the people of Pakistan join the people of Iran in their hour of grief and sorrow,&quot; Dar said, following a formal statement of condolence from the prime minister.&nbsp;The deputy prime minister revealed that, prior to the escalation, Pakistan had been actively mediating between the United States and Iran, alongside Oman.&nbsp;&nbsp;He noted that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had expressed optimism about the &quot;positive direction&quot; of the talks during a recent meeting in Austria.&nbsp;Dar told the Senate that Pakistan has consistently advocated for Iran&#39;s right to the &quot;peaceful use of nuclear energy.&quot; He disclosed that Pakistan had argued against the total destruction of Iran&#39;s nuclear infrastructure, supporting the 3.67% enrichment level previously accepted under the JCPOA, provided it remained under international surveillance.&nbsp;According to Dar, both Washington and Tehran had previously expressed willingness to use Islamabad as a venue for mediation.

Security

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan passed on to Iran Saudi assurances that its territory would not be used for attacks against it, resulting in minimal or no attacks by Iran on Saudi Arabia and Oman during the recent escalation

Pakistan passed on Saudi assurances to Iran of no use of territory: Dar   

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Tuesday dismissed media reports claiming a partial closure of the country&rsquo;s airspace, terming the interpretation &ldquo;incorrect and misleading.&rdquo; The authority clarified that a recently issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was a routine operational advisory. The NOTAM announces the temporary unavailability of specific Air Traffic Services (ATS) route segments within the Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions during daily time windows from 0400 to 1000 UTC (0900 to 1500 Pakistan Standard Time) from March 3 to 31. The PAA said the route segments are closed from ground level to unlimited altitude for standard operational reasons, stressing that the country&rsquo;s airspace remains fully open and safe for all civil aviation traffic, including commercial flights. &ldquo;No restrictions have been imposed on commercial operations, arrivals, departures, or overflights across Pakistan,&rdquo; the authority said, adding that alternative routing options are available and routinely used where required. Air traffic services across the country are continuing without disruption, and controllers and airport teams are managing flight operations normally, the statement added. The authority urged media outlets and social media users to rely on official statements to avoid unnecessary concern among passengers and the public.

An Israeli Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. (Photo: AFP/File)

The authority clarifies that a recently issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was a routine operational advisory.

Articles tagged with "Middle East war"

Azerbaijan vows retaliation after Iran's 'terrorist' drone strikes

Pakistan passed on Saudi assurances to Iran of no use of territory: Dar

Pakistan Airports Authority rejects reports of airspace ‘partial closure’

Azerbaijan vows retaliation after Iran's 'terrorist' drone strikes