Azerbaijan prevents 2nd missile attack on Yevlakh city

YEVLAH, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s defense system on Wednesday prevented Armenia's second missile attack on the Yevlakh city.

Armenia forces launched a long-range missile attack, a day after the attack on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline in the city, where Anadolu Agency reporters were present to shot footage of the cluster bomb that did not explode in the first attack.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency , Azerbaijani security officials at the scene said the Azerbaijani side fired a missile to prevent the Armenian attack.

On Tuesday, Armenian forces for the first time launched a missile attack on the BTC oil pipeline amid a regional conflict with Azerbaijan.

The BTC pipeline delivers Azerbaijan’s light crude oil -- mainly from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field -- through Georgia to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan for export via tankers.

Azerbaijan had described the attack as a "terrorist act" and highlighted the pipeline's important role in Europe's energy security.

Ongoing clashes began Sept. 27, when Armenian forces targeted civilian Azerbaijani settlements and military positions in the region, leading to casualties.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Multiple UN resolutions, as well as international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the invading forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was reached in 1994.

Many world powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have urged an immediate cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense.

*Writing by Burak Bir