Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared up again on Monday night, with both sides reporting intense artillery shelling.

At around midnight, Azerbaijani forces shelled Armenian troops at three locations along the border. Azerbaijan said it was responding to a buildup of Armenian landmines and weapons near the border.

Armenia fired back in retaliation.

The fighting took place near the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) region, an area claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia, where ethnic Armenian separatists declared a breakaway republic in 1991. During the 2020 war Azerbaijan recaptured most of the region.

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At a press briefing early on Tuesday, Armenian defense spokesperson Aram Torosyan said the situation remains “extremely tense” as fighting continues.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan later told parliament that “For the moment, we have 49 [troops] killed and unfortunately it’s not the final figure”.

Both countries claimed to have launched proportionate responses against what they saw as provocations from the other side.

“At 00:05 a.m. [local time] on Tuesday, Azerbaijan launched intensive shelling, with artillery and large-caliber firearms, against Armenian military positions in the direction of the cities of Goris, Sotk, and Jermuk,” Armenia’s defense ministry said.

Armenian forces said they subsequently launched a “proportionate” response. The Azerbaijani defense ministry said its troops came under “intense shelling from weapons of various caliber, including mortars, by units of the Armenian army.”

Source: DW, CNN