Azerbaijani artillery and UAVs reportedly targeted sites in Vardenis, Goris, Sotk and Jermuk in eastern Armenia.

Ethnic Armenian soldiers stand in a trench at their position near Nagorno-Karabakh's town of Martuni, April 8, 2016. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Ethnic Armenian soldiers stand in a trench at their position near Nagorno-Karabakh’s town of Martuni, April 8, 2016. (photo credit: REUTERS)

 

Large clashes broke out between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces along the border between the two countries on Monday night, according to Azerbaijani and Armenian Defense Ministries.

Azerbaijani artillery and UAVs reportedly targeted sites in Vardenis, Goris, Sotk and Jermuk in eastern Armenia.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that Armenian forces carried out “large-scale sabotage” towards Dashkasan, Kalbajar and Lachin, including mining certain areas. Casualties and material damage have been reported by the Azerbaijani side although exact details are as of yet unclear.

The Armenian Defense Ministry stated that Azerbaijani forces fired intensively with artillery fire and UAVs on Armenian forces in the Goris, Sotk and Jermuk areas.

In August, two soldiers from the defense force of the de-facto Artsakh Republic was killed and 14 others were injured in strikes by Azerbaijani forces in the north-western part of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Ethnic Armenian soldiers gather at their fighting positions near the village of Taghavard in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, January 11, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/ARTEM MIKRYUKOV)
Ethnic Armenian soldiers gather at their fighting positions near the village of Taghavard in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, January 11, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/ARTEM MIKRYUKOV)

 

The US response

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an end to the clashes in a statement early Tuesday morning, Reuters reported.

“As we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict,” Blinken said in a statement. “We urge an end to any military hostilities immediately.”

Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict

The Republic of Artsakh is a de facto republic internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. In 2020, the area where the republic is situated was recaptured by Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that Armenian militants fired at Azerbaijani positions in the Lachin district at the time, killing one Azerbaijani soldier.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced then that it had carried out an operation titled “Revenge” against a number of groups of Armenian forces in the region. The ministry additionally claimed that “Armenian armed groups” tried to seize the Kyrghgiz hill and establish new combat positions there.

Later in August, Azerbaijani forces entered Lachin, replacing Russian peacekeepers who were stationed there.

As reported by The Jerusalem Post