Civilians killed in bombing inside Azerbaijan .. Armenia denies responsibility and Aliyev: We will respond in the field

Azerbaijan announced that a number of civilians were killed yesterday in an Armenian night bombardment targeting the city of Ganja in the northeast of the country, but the Armenian authorities denied this and expressed their readiness to implement the truce in the Nagorno Karabakh region.

On the other hand, the Azerbaijani president stressed that his country will not target civilians and that it will respond in the field.

Today, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor's Office reported that 12 civilians were killed and more than 40 others were injured in the city of Ganja, in the northeast of the country, as a result of shelling by Armenian forces, adding that two shells fell on two residential buildings.

For its part, the Foreign Ministry in Armenia denied that its army had bombed areas inside Azerbaijan, which resulted in deaths and injuries.

The Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that 12 people were killed and 40 wounded in Armenian shelling targeting Ganja.

He also reported that one person was killed in the suburbs of the city, which is being bombed for the third time this month.

He also stated that the shelling targeted the city center and led to the destruction of a school and a clinic, and that the death toll is expected to rise due to the presence of critical cases among the injured.

'State terrorism'

For his part, Hikmat Hajiyev, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, said that initial information indicates that 20 houses were destroyed in the bombing of Ganja, adding that "the state terrorism policy practiced by Armenia must stop."

In turn, President Ilham Aliyev announced the liberation of the city of Fuzuli, whom he described as the Armenian occupation, saying that his country would not target civilians and respond in the field and that "the treacherous Armenian army attacks against civilians will not break the will of our people."

Aliyev asked, "Where does poor Armenia get this huge amount of weapons? And who gives them weapons?

On the other hand, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his country is ready to implement the ceasefire agreement and end the fighting in Karabakh, based on the understandings reached under the auspices of Russia.

Since the "humanitarian" truce was reached on October 10 in Moscow, it was supposed to allow the exchange of the bodies of soldiers and prisoners, and fighting continued on many fronts, and Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged accusations of violating the armistice and targeting civilian areas.

Aliyev: Where does poor Armenia get so much weapons?

(Al Jazeera)

Gentile concern

For its part, the United Nations strongly condemned all forms of attacks targeting civilians in the ongoing clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expressing its deep concern over those battles and their repercussions on civilians.

Commenting on the recent escalation in the disputed territory, Stefan Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said that the latter was extremely concerned about the continuing fighting in Karabakh.

He added that Guterres is continuing his diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict.

Dujarric emphasized that the Secretary-General's message to both parties is to abide by the ceasefire and return to negotiations.

In turn, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the United Nations, said that Guterres had made two phone calls to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jihon Piramov, and urged them to fully implement the ceasefire.

He pointed out that civilians bear the burden of these three-week battles, adding, "We strongly condemn any attack or targeting of areas where civilians live."

Azerbaijan had announced that it had incurred the Armenian army's military losses estimated at two billion dollars so far, noting that the latter had announced the killing of 600 soldiers, but estimated that the number of deaths was more than that.

On the other hand, the Azerbaijan Prosecutor's Office announced that 47 civilians were killed and 222 injured.

Shells fall in Iran

On the other hand, Tehran issued a new warning to neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan after shells fell as a result of their battles on the Iranian side of the border, wounding one person.

Iran had previously warned the two countries not to approach its territory, and deployed tanks on its borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan.