Military developments
On 3 November, Armenia’s Ministry of Defence reported that active combat continued overnight. The Ministry’s Spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said that an attack in the north was prevented. The Armenian Unified Infocenter reported that Azerbaijani forces opened fire on the towns of Martuni and Shusha with Smerch rocket batteries.
The de facto State Emergency Service of Nagorno-Karabakh stated that Azerbaijani forces used new weapons on the conflict territory. “The analysis showed that this is a burning cluster munition, about 40 cm long, the use of which is prohibited by the Geneva and international conventions," the de facto agency wrote on its Facebook page. The de facto agency that this type of weapon is intended for mass destruction and arson of territories.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence accused Armenian forces of firing at settlements and military units in Tovuz, Gadabay and Dashkesan. Later the MOD reported that Armenian forces shelled the city of Fuzuli and the surrounding villages with the Smerch cluster munitions, as well as shelling civilian infrastructure in residential areas of Aghdam and Aghjabadi. In addition, it emphasised that most of the fighting took place in the direction of Aghdere, Khojavend, Kovsakan and Gubadli regions.
The Azerbaijani MOD also stated that the Armenian forces fired phosphorus shells at the Sahlabad village of Tartar. The Assistant to the Azerbaijani President Hikmet Hajiyev stated that “in these days phosphorus shells are used by Armenian forces in order to burn forests of Shusha and Topkhana,” adding that there was intelligence information about bringing large phosphorous substance by Armenia in the direction of Khojavand.
Political developments
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed that Israel “sends humanitarian aid to the mercenaries and to the terrorists as the logical continuation of its activities.” He said that Israel should think that it is on the same side as mercenaries and Islamic terrorists. “Israel should ask itself the question – is it not fighting de facto alongside mercenaries against Nagorno-Karabakh? Is this a convenient position for it? If it is, God be with it. But I think that there will be specific consequences, and you will have to face those consequences,” Pashinyan said in the interview.
Hikmet Hajiyev spoke also on the issue of mercenaries in the Armenian Army. “There are citizens of the countries from Lebanon, Syria to Canada in the mercenary groups of Armenia. There is also information on France’s radical organisation representative's gathering a group in order to arrive in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. At the same time, there is also information on the presence of PKK members in the occupied territories,” he stated.
Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei voiced his support for Azerbaijan in the war. He said Azerbaijan is righteous in this issue in terms of international laws. “The battles taking place between Iran’s two neighbours create danger and should end in near time. It is well-known that these territories belong to Azerbaijan and the territories occupied by the Armenian side should be liberated. The Republic of Azerbaijan is righteous in this issue. The war parties should ensure inviolability of international borders,” he stressed.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stated that indiscriminate strikes on populated areas in and around Nagorno-Karabakh are in contravention of international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes.
Bachelet expressed concern about the use of cluster munition by both sides as well. “Amid deeply troubling reports that cluster munitions have been used by both parties, I call once again on Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop using them, and to join the more than 100 States that have ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions which comprehensively bans their use,” she added. She also expressed concern about videos that have emerged which appear to show war crimes being committed.
