Rockets and drones launched from the direction of Iran fell near the international airport in Nakhchivan, an autonomous enclave of Azerbaijan located just a few kilometres from the Iranian border. The incident injured two people and a fire broke out at the airport.

In response, Azerbaijan deployed air defence systems and military units along more than 700 kilometres of its border with Iran. Military leave was cancelled, units were placed on heightened combat readiness, and defensive positions in the south of the country were reinforced.

Nakhchivan is a strategically sensitive region – a geographically detached enclave of Azerbaijan, surrounded by Armenia, Iran and Turkey. Its lack of land connection to the rest of Azerbaijan makes it particularly vulnerable in conditions of regional instability.

The incident occurred in the context of heightened regional tensions following the US-Israeli military operations against Iran. Baku has not yet issued an official comment on whether the strikes were deliberately aimed at Azerbaijani territory or were an incidental spillover of the conflict.