Falcon powers – Azerbaijan, a close ally of Israel, conducted air defense drills just days after its southern neighbor, Iran, carried out maritime tests near their shared border.
On Saturday, the Azerbaijani defense ministry announced on its website that air defense systems, including the long-range S-300, were activated to practice defending critical facilities against “simulated” missile attacks.
The drills came shortly after the Iranian Navy executed exercises in the Caspian Sea, in an area close to Azerbaijan’s border.
The semi-official Iranian agency “Mehr” reported that defensive maneuvers were held at a naval base in the northern city of Astara last Tuesday. The agency stated that the Iranian naval forces included attacks on virtual targets.
Relations between the two countries are usually tense, as the former Soviet republic is a major ally of Turkey, Iran’s historical rival, and of Israel, Iran’s arch-enemy.
Azerbaijan reopened its embassy in Tehran last month, which had been closed since January 2023 following a deadly attack in which a man stormed the embassy building, resulting in the death of a diplomat and injuries to two security personnel.
Tehran condemned the attack at the time, asserting that the assailant’s motives were “personal.” However, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry held Tehran responsible, with a spokesperson clarifying that an anti-Azerbaijan campaign “encouraged the attack.”
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