Armenia 'sitting on a powder keg', expert warns

The regional situation is critically tense with a real risk of escalating into a full-scale war, warns Varuzhan Geghamyan, a geopolitical strategist and regional security expert.

His comments came after Israel launched strikes on Iran on Friday morning, targeting military and nuclear sites in Tehran, Tabriz and other locations. Reports suggest the strikes killed several senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists.

In a social media post, Geghamyan states that if the strikes escalate into war, one of the most likely fronts to pressure Iran will be through Armenia’s southern Syunik Province. He highlights that Israel's close ally, Azerbaijan, has been heavily armed by Israel in recent months. Simultaneously, Turkish forces are stationed in Nakhichevan under the guise of military exercises, placing Armenia under two-sided pressure.

“This is one of the most probable scenarios in case of a regional escalation,” he stated. “Armenia is essentially sitting on a powder keg, while the public is distracted with superficial narratives of ‘investments’ and ‘education’. Meanwhile, national institutions, including the Armenian Apostolic Church, which could play a vital internal and external role, are being weakened,” he wrote.