On Monday evening, Azerbaijan announced the outbreak of intense border clashes, and said that its forces were launching an attack in response to Armenian provocations, confirming the losses on both sides.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Armenian army carried out a large-scale "provocative" action in the evening hours on the Dashiksen, Kalbajar and Lachin axes.
She explained that "subversive groups" of the Armenian forces planted mines on lands and roads between the positions of the Azerbaijani army, which led to the outbreak of clashes between the two sides.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense indicated that the Armenian forces targeted the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the provinces of Dashiksen, Kalbajar and Lachin with various weapons, including mortars, which led to losses among its forces and damage to the military infrastructure.
The ministry pointed out that the Azerbaijani army, in turn, took the necessary measures to respond to the Armenian sources of fire and prevent the expansion of clashes, stressing that the Armenian forces incurred losses in life and equipment.
The statement held the Armenian government responsible for the clashes and losses, and said that additional information will be provided to the public at a later time.
Two years ago, the two neighboring countries had entered into a war that lasted for 44 days, which resulted in Azerbaijan recovering many villages and cities in the Karabakh region, and the withdrawal of the Armenians from it, according to an agreement concluded between Baku, Moscow and Yerevan.
Last month, Azerbaijan regained the area called "Lachin Corridor", which includes the city of Lachin and its environs, according to the tripartite agreement.