Iran’s deputy chief of staff has said an Israeli drone shot down near the Natanz nuclear facility flew in from a northern country that once was part of the Soviet Union, however he did not specify the country when he made the claim. 

General Masoud Jazayeri said the country must make “compensatory actions” or else be publicly named.

He also said Iran’s response will not be limited to shooting down the drone. “We will respond to the enemy in the occupied lands,” he added without elaborating, Fars news agency reported. 

There are three former Soviet republics north of Iran: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Iran in the past had criticized Azerbaijan for its close ties with Israel.

However, in Baku officials have denied a report alleging that the drone was launched from Azerbaijan’s territory. 

Ali Hasanov, an official in Azerbaijan’s presidential administration, described the report as a “provocation by outside circles.”

On Sunday, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had shot down the Israeli drone near the country’s uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, some 240 kilometers south of the capital Tehran. Israeli officials have not commented on the incident.

Bakudaily.Az