Azerbaijan has announced a new offensive against the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a serious escalation that could turn the regional conflict into an all-out war, according to Politico.
The South Caucasus state’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that “local anti-terrorist activities” were being carried out in ethnic Armenian-controlled territory to “stop large-scale provocations”. The statement said:
“As part of the measures, positions on the front line and in-depth, long-term firing points of the formations of Armenia’s armed forces, as well as combat assets and military facilities are incapacitated using high-precision weapons.”
Local media report that air-raid sirens are sounding in Stepanakert, the de facto capital of the unrecognised state.
Speaking to POLITICO, Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said that the “goal is to neutralize military infrastructure” and added that the local Armenian population had been sent SMS messages warning them of the “counter-terrorism actions.” Hajiyev said:
“They have been asked to stay apart from legitimate military targets.”
In 2020 Armenia and Azerbaijan began military battles over Nagorno-Karabakh. However, a ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia has broken down and Azerbaijani forces have taken control of the only road leading to or from Nagorno-Karabakh, blocking humanitarian aid and triggering warnings of “ethnic cleansing”.
