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The Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed that it had attacked areas within its territory, denied that Armenian forces were firing at Azerbaijan, and stated that it “reserves the right to attack any military installations and combat-related movements on Azerbaijani territory.”
This appears to be the first time since the fight for the revival of Nagorno-Karabakh last month, when Azerbaijan has said it has hit targets on Armenian territory.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said its forces had destroyed a missile system and a ballistic missile system in separate attacks in Armenia in support of separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday night.
These systems have been deployed in areas of Armenia bordering the separatist-controlled Kelbecker district of Azerbaijan, the ministry said.
A missile launch site has targeted the Ganges, Mingechevir and other populated areas of Azerbaijan, the ministry said, indicating that there is no civil infrastructure near the site.
Shushan Stepanian, a spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry, confirmed that military installations in the area had been attacked.
“The attack was carried out only on the assumption that … the team was supposed to attack civilian settlements in Azerbaijan,” the spokeswoman wrote on Twitter.
“Of course, this claim is unfounded … No missile, projectile or bullet was launched in the direction of Azerbaijan,” he stressed.
The Armenian army now “reserves the right to attack any military installations and movements related to the fighting on Azerbaijani territory in response,” the spokeswoman said.
Intense fighting broke out on 27 September for the ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was separated from Azerbaijan during the war in the 1990s. Fighting continues despite a humanitarian ceasefire agreed over the weekend.
So far, the fighting has mainly taken place on the front line around Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijani forces clash with separatist militants.
However, as the fighting continues, fears grow that the conflict will escalate into a comprehensive multi-front war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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