Turkey's support to rebel groups, Syrian mercenaries fighting against Artsakh: Facts about Azerbaijani aggression (video)

Chronicle of the past week's heavy battles in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict zone:

Azerbaijan launched aerial and missile strikes against Nagorno-Karabakh, targeting the entire Line of Contact in the early morning hours of September 27.

Later the same day, the Defense Army reported attacks along the Line of Contact involving the use of artillery machines and unmanned combat aerial vehicles. The adversary targeted settlements in the back rear positions, including the capital city of Stepanakert.

Meantime, Turkey issued a statement in support of Azerbaijan; the Turkish diplomacy works in the interests of Azerbaijani ambitions. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed his country's support to Azerbaijan "both at the negotiating table and on the battlefield".

Azerbaijan repeatedly targeted also civilians over the period. Eleven civilians had been killed and more than 60 - wounded. The adversary struck the city of Hadrut from BM-30 Smerch, a multiple rocket-launcher banned under the norms of international humanitarian law.

Azerbaijan targets also journalists. Representatives of local and international media were hit in artillery strikes in the city of Martuni. A cameraman from Armenia TV channel and a journalist from 24news.am were injured. Also journalists from the French Le Monde  sustained bodily damage. Both are citizens of France. Earlier, a drone operated by the adversary's air forces chased representatives of the local media.

Azerbaijan put the Turkish Air Force in charge of leading the airstrikes against Artsakh.

It later emerged that an estimated 3,000-4,000 mercenaries deployed by Turkey were fighting on behalf of Azerbaijan. The mercenaries are taking part in the ongoing war against Armenia and Artsakh for as much as USD 2,000. One of them told BBC Arabic that Turkey had deceived them into the fight against the Armenians.

French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists that he had proofs about the mercenaries sent from Turkey to Azerbaijan.

Additionally, another factor emerged to attest to Turkey's engagement. Azerbaijan's air forces launched mixed air and bomb strikes against the north of the Artsakh Defense Army, using also Turkish-made drones. Also, the multifunctional F-16 fighting falcons (belonging to the Turkish air forces) were spotted in the sky above the battleground. There are also available records of the pilots' conversations in Turkish.

Available documentary evidence reveals that Azerbaijan had pre-planned the aggression for a long time. In particular, the miltiary operations were preceded by large-scale Turkish-Azerbaijani joint military drills attracting thousands of troops, military equipment, artillery and air forces (including unmanned drones). The Turkish troops and military equipment remained deployed in Azerbaijan after the exercises.

Meantime, Israel has sent aircrafts loaded with weapons to Azerbaijan over the period. Al Arabiya reported that despite Armenia's move to open an embassy in Israel last month, Israel and Azerbaijan have entered into a big trade of oil and weapons. Israel is among Azerbaijan's major weapons suppliers.

International organizations have made calls upon the sides to end fire and to return to the negotiations. The fact was reflected in a joint statement by the Russian, US and French leaders. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says Russia, France and the United States must not only act in support of stability and peace but also step up their efforts in that direction.  

"The international community must force Turkey to withdraw from this conflict, as the Turkish intervention will only escalate the situation even further," Pashinyan said.