New York Times Highlights the Worst Military Escalation Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan have utilized heavy artillery and drones today. There are at least 16 casualties reported on both sides, including an Azerbaijani general. The well-known American newspaper New York Times has addressed what it describes as the worst military escalation between the two countries.

Clashes between the forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan have become frequent. The ongoing military operations represent the most serious outbreak since 2016, when numerous casualties were recorded during four days of fighting. The recent military actions began on Sunday. Officials from both countries blame each other for starting the conflict, noting that periodic shelling continues.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense reported that two high-ranking officers, Major General Polad Hashimov and Colonel Ilgar Mirzayev, along with five other servicemen have been killed. Armenian officials claim that Azerbaijani drones targeted civilian infrastructure in the city of Berd in the Tavush region. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, Shushan Stepanyan, announced that the Armenian side shot down one of the Azerbaijani drones.

“The Azerbaijani side has surrounded its own population with artillery units, targeting them, and then complains that Armenian forces fired in that direction,” the spokesperson wrote on Facebook, sharing images of Azerbaijani artillery around a village.

The Azerbaijani military has denied the use of drones and asserted that their forces shelled an Armenian drone, claiming to have destroyed the Armenian artillery system along with its crew.

As the military operations continue, Armenia also accused Azerbaijan of conducting cyberattacks on the websites of the Armenian government. On Monday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of provoking the clashes and warned that “it will bear responsibility for unpredictable consequences.”

Ilham Aliyev condemned what he described as “another provocation from Armenia” and vowed to defend Azerbaijan’s national territory. Turkey, which has close ethnic and cultural ties with Azerbaijan, has strongly supported Baku regarding the conflict.

The United States and Russia, which co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group facilitating negotiations on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, condemned the violence and called for restraint. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is “deeply concerned” about the fighting and is ready to play a mediating role. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed concern, with his spokesperson stating that the UN chief “calls on all parties involved to immediately cease fighting, take urgent steps to de-escalate the situation, and refrain from provocative rhetoric.”