Azerbaijan pre-planned Tuesday's attack on Armenia, prosecution says

The latest Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia was pre-planned, the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.

Azerbaijani forces began intense shelling of Armenian positions on several fronts shortly after midnight on Tuesday, using combat drones, artillery and large-caliber firearms. 49 Armenian soldiers were confirmed dead in the nighttime attacks by Azerbaijan.

Azeri troops continued attempts to advance into Armenian territory in some border sections as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Prosecutor’s Office says evidence on violations of several norms of the customary international humanitarian law and war crimes was collected as part of its criminal probe into Azerbaijan’s attack.

Azerbaijan shelled Armenian military positions in Syunik, Vayots Dzor and Gegharkunik Provinces. Targeted strikes were also delivered on Armenian civilians and civilian infrastructure. As a result, several civilians were wounded.

“The collected data proves that the Azerbaijan military-political leadership pre-planned the aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, preparing artificial grounds for it for a long time,” the law-enforcement agency said.

Armenia's chief prosecutor informed his counterparts of partner countries about the facts of the Azeri aggression, it added.