Azerbaijan Launches Artillery Attack and Air Strikes in Artsakh, Leaving Four Dead

In a renewed escalation of hostilities, Azerbaijani forces launched a devastating artillery attack and drone strikes on Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) positions in the early hours of Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of four Artsakh servicemen. The attack targeted positions in the Martuni and Martakert directions, according to a statement released by the Artsakh Defense Army.

The Defense Army reported that the assault began at 1:30 a.m. local time, with Azerbaijani armed units utilizing both artillery fire and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in their assault. The attack resulted in the loss of four Artsakh servicemen, whose names were later identified as Armo Abgaryan, Samvel Torosyan, Yervand Tadevosyan, and Gagik Balayan.

The Artsakh Defense Army expressed its condolences to the families and friends of the fallen troops. The Ministry accused Azerbaijan of orchestrating a misinformation campaign prior to the attack, falsely accusing the Artsakh army of violating the ceasefire. This campaign was seen as an attempt to create a pretext for the aggressive actions.

Artsakh authorities released a statement in response to the deadly attack, asserting that the situation along the line of contact with Azerbaijan was "relatively stable" as of 07:00 local time. The Ministry of Defense also announced its intention to release an additional statement with the names of the fallen troops.

The bodies of two of the fallen servicemen, Yervand Tadevosyan and Samvel Torosyan, were transported to Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The transfer was carried out to honor the wishes of their parents and to provide for their burial in the Yerablur military pantheon.