Renewed tension Dozens of Armenian soldiers killed and captured after attacks on Azerbaijan

Armenia said that Azerbaijan has captured 12 of its soldiers in the ongoing clashes since Tuesday morning, after the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced that its military sites in the Lachin region were subjected to Armenian shelling with mortars and artillery.

The Russian Interfax news agency quoted Armenia as saying that 15 of its soldiers were killed in border clashes with Azerbaijan, while 12 others were captured by Azerbaijani forces, in the ongoing clashes since Tuesday morning.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense confirmed, in a statement, that its military sites in the Lachin region were subjected to Armenian shelling with mortars and artillery.

On the other hand, the Azerbaijani army responded to the bombing with the destruction of anti-tank and mortar artillery, and the statement described the situation on the border as tense and clashes are continuing between the two sides.

The Azerbaijani "Defense" indicated that the Armenian army launched a military operation at 11:00 (local time) on the line of the Lachin and Kalbajar provinces with the aim of controlling several high-altitude areas.

It confirmed that two Azerbaijani soldiers were wounded in the Armenian attack, while the Azerbaijani army responded with an operation during which it captured several Armenian soldiers after they were stripped of their weapons.

For its part, the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement that "the attack by the Azerbaijani forces on the positions of the Armenian forces led to deaths and injuries on the Armenian side," adding that Yerevan also lost control of two "military sites."

The media said that the clashes took place near the Karabakh region.

On Monday, the Russian Interfax news agency reported that the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, accused the Azerbaijani forces of violating the border between the two countries and dismissed the defense minister.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army launched an operation to liberate its occupied lands in the Karabakh region, following an attack by the Armenian army on civilian populated areas.

After fierce battles that lasted 44 days, Russia announced on November 10, 2020, that Azerbaijan and Armenia had reached a ceasefire agreement, providing for Baku to regain control of the occupied provinces.