Armenia says four soldiers killed in flare-up on border with Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani and Armenian border forces reportedly exchanged fire along their shared border Monday, with each side accusing the other of sparking the flare-up.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement that Armenian troops fired at the village of Kokhanabi in Azerbaijan’s Tovuz District in the evening, injuring one border guard.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry disputed Azerbaijan’s account, saying Azerbaijani forces had initiated the clash by firing on Armenian territory on Monday morning, killing four Armenian soldiers and injuring others.

Azerbaijan, for its part, said its actions on Monday morning were a “revenge operation” in response to an earlier “provocation” from Armenia, who it said was “fully responsible” for the incident.

Note: This report has been updated to reflect the number of dead reported by the Armenian authorities.