Weekly update

3 October

A video shared from the clashes between Armenian and Azeri forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region show Azerbaijani forces using an Israeli "LORA" (LOng Range Attack) missile to shell a bridge in Armenia, according to Channel 12 News, says The Jerusalem Post. Azerbaijan was the first and only confirmed country to which Israel delivered LORA missiles – in an arms deal that took place in 2018. Azerbaijan is a known ally of Israel, supplying the Jewish state with about 40% of its oil needs. The country is a longtime customer of an assortment of Israeli defense companies, buying drones, missiles and other advanced weapon systems. In 2016, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev revealed that his country signed $5 billion worth of long-term contracts over the years to buy weapons and security equipment from Israel.

2 October

The intense military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has reached the largest city and de-facto capital of Artsakh Republic where Azerbaijani shelling has destroyed the Emergencies Ministry complex, reports  Russia Today. The local fighters told RT that the Azerbaijani military sometimes employ so-called double tap tactics, hitting the same areas twice as they target the soldiers that come to the area to clear it following the first shelling.

1 October

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already intervened militarily in Syria, Libya and Iraq this year. When a long-simmering conflict in the south Caucasus burst into open warfare this week, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the first world leader to jump into the fray. According to the New York Times Turkey supplies weapons and training to Azerbaijan, and there are signs that it is actively engaged in the fighting, which Ankara has denied. If Turkish involvement is confirmed, even in a supporting role, it would be just one of several fronts where Erdogan has deployed troops, ships and aircraft with increasing readiness this year.

30 September

Azerbaijan is using Israeli “kamikaze drones” in strikes against Armenian forces in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign policy adviser to the president of Azerbaijan told me in an interview, says axios.com reporter. Why it matters: The latest round of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan is threatening to escalate into a war involving regional powers, with Turkey intervening alongside Azerbaijan. But Israel also has a strategic relationship with Azerbaijan involving cooperation on security and energy. 60% of Azerbaijan’s arms procurement comes from Israel, while a large portion of Israel's oil supply comes from Azerbaijan.

29 September

A special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict context was convened in Vienna by Albania’s 2020 OSCE Chairmanship. As reported by OSCE the meeting was attended by representatives of the OSCE’s 57 participating States. Representatives of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries – France, Russian Federation and the United States of America – reiterated the Co-Chairs’ appeal to all sides to cease hostilities immediately and to resume negotiations to find a sustainable resolution to the conflict.

28 September

On Sunday morning, Azerbaijan air, artillery and armored forces launched a large-scale offensive targeting Armenian settlements and troops positions across the length of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, says Forbes.com. This article looks at the apparent involvement of Turkish-built drones in the conflict, followed by a look at the most recent reports on losses and changes in territory. Turkey has used the Bayraktar aggressively in conflicts Libya and Syria in 2020, with operationally decisive results. Though opposing surface-to-air missiles shot down a significant number of drones, the Turkish UCAVs in turn still managed to methodically pick off (manned) air defense vehicles one by one. And once the air defenses were suppressed, Turkish drones could ravage enemy bases, artillery positions and vehicle columns unhindered with lightweight precision missiles.

27 September

In line with usnews.com/The breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus said usnews.com on Sunday 16 of its servicemen had been killed and more than 100 wounded in clashes with Azeri forces. The long-running conflict worries Western and regional countries in part because it could cause instability in the South Caucasus, which serves as a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to world markets.

26 September

According to The Jerusalem Post. Turkey’s ruling party, which thrives on creating a new international crisis every month, may be targeting Armenia. Several hundred Syrian refugees have been recruited by Turkey to fight against Armenia in the disputed Karabagh region, according to claims by Syrian commentators, activists and other reports. The claims were posted on social media this week and circulated among Syrian refugees, dissidents and others who monitor Syria. A Syrian source provided photos and video of buses allegedly with Syrian mercenaries recruited by Turkey being sent towards Armenia on Wednesday, September 23. Majd Helobi, a Kurdish reporter provided photos and information detailing the allegations. Allegations include assertions that these Syrians recruited by Ankara are linked to those who carried out crimes in Turkish-occupied Afrin and Tel Abyad. The UN recently accused Turkey and Turkish-backed groups of rape and looting in occupied areas of northern Syria.

Sources: The Jerusalem Post.; Russia Today; New York Times; axios.com; OSCE; Forbes.com; usnews.com.