Azerbaijani soldier killed as Armenia violates cease-fire in Tovuz
Armenian servicemen transport used tires in the back of a truck to fortify their positions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border near the village of Movses, Armenia, July 15, 2020. (AFP Photo)


An Azerbaijani soldier was killed during a conflict with Armenia at the border, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced early Monday, adding that their neighbor's army had violated the cease-fire in the Tovuz region.

The ministry stressed that the administration in Yerevan was responsible for the tensions.

The ministry on the same day stated it had downed an Armenian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Sunday evening while conducting reconnaissance activity over Azerbaijani territory. The statement did not provide information about where the UAV was hit, although posts on social media claimed it took place in Shamkir province in western Azerbaijan.

The drone was not the first to be destroyed by Azerbaijani forces since tensions escalated between the two nations in July.

The Armenian Army violated a cease-fire on July 12 and attacked Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire but withdrew after suffering losses following Baku's retaliation. In the attack, 12 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed, including high-ranking officers, and four troops were wounded.

Despite international calls for restraint, Armenian troops opened fire on civilian settlements in the villages of Agdam and Dondar Kuscu. A 76-year-old Azerbaijani citizen was killed in the offensive. Baku has accused Yerevan of hiding its losses.

Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for its "provocative" actions, with Ankara throwing its weight behind Baku and warning Yerevan that it will not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.

Since 1991, the Armenian military has illegally occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

In addition to four United Nations Security Council and two U.N. General Assembly resolutions, many international organizations defer to this recognition and have demanded the withdrawal of the occupational Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.