Azerbaijani forces launched a major attack on areas of Nagorno-Karabakh controlled by Armenia on Tuesday, marking a significant escalation in the region's fragile peace since the 2020 war.
Representatives from Karabakh reported a "large-scale military offensive" targeting Armenian positions and accused Azerbaijani forces of violating the ceasefire with missile and artillery strikes.
Azerbaijan's defense ministry, in contrast, blamed Armenian forces for provocations and described the operation as a response to "local, anti-terrorist activities" aimed at disarming and withdrawing Armenian formations from Azerbaijani territories.
The situation worsened with air raid sirens and mortar fire in Karabakh's main city, Stepanakert, leading to a collapse of the ceasefire, resulting in casualties, including Azerbaijani police and civilians killed in mine blasts.
Armenia reported that the conflict had not spilled over into its own borders, maintaining relative stability within its territory.
The United Nations is expected to address the renewed violence during the ongoing General Assembly session, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Armenia has sought support from its ally, Russia, within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), but Russia's involvement has been limited due to its focus on the war in Ukraine.
Azerbaijan faces accusations of attempting to conduct a slow genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh by restricting access to food, medicine, and humanitarian aid.
The conflict has a history of sporadic flare-ups since 2020, with roots tracing back to the post-Soviet era when Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan engaged in a war over Nagorno Karabakh's independence in 1991.
Although the first war officially ended in 1994, the region remains militarized, with occasional shelling incidents.
The latest round of fighting has raised concerns of a wider conflict, with both sides blaming the other for the escalation. International leaders have called for an immediate ceasefire and urged both sides to engage in dialogue to resolve the dispute peacefully.
Background
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic Armenians since the end of a war in the early 1990s. The conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced many more.
In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a major offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Azerbaijan regained control of significant territory in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding region.
Despite the ceasefire, tensions have remained high between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with occasional flare-ups of violence. The latest round of fighting is the most serious escalation since the 2020 war.
Implications
The renewed fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh raises concerns of a wider conflict, with both sides blaming the other for the escalation. The region is strategically important, bordering Iran and Turkey, and is home to key energy pipelines.
The conflict also has implications for Russia's role in the region. Russia is a close ally of Armenia and has been the main mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, Russia's focus on the war in Ukraine has limited its ability to intervene in the current crisis.
The international community has called for an immediate ceasefire and urged both sides to engage in dialogue to resolve the dispute peacefully. It is unclear whether the parties are willing to engage in talks at this time.