Azerbaijan is only conducting operations in its own territory. This operation is strictly within its legitimate boundaries. Karabakh, as well as the other Azerbaijani territories under occupation are, according to international law, Azerbaijan’s field of sovereignty. But they are under occupation nevertheless.

Now, Baku is conducting a determined operation to end this occupation. For the first time in three decades, it is shifting from defense mode to offense. It is carrying out an extremely successful operation.

It is purging its cities, villages, mountains, plateaus, waters, and lands.

This is not war but a fight against terrorism; it is an internal security operation.

Are the any problems so far? Is there a problem for Russia? Any problems for Iran, France, the EU or the U.S.?

No, there are no problems and there cannot be any.

Does Azerbaijan have the right to do this? Does it have the authority and responsibility to protect, save, and preserve its own lands?

Of course it does. This is a country’s most fundamental and unquestionable right.

Up to this point, there is not a single criticism or reaction the world can direct at Azerbaijan. Anyone who opposes this is an invader. It means they are attacking Azerbaijan!

But Armenia’s case is different. The Yerevan administration has been directly attacking Azerbaijan for three decades. It is invading its cities and lands. Moreover, it has been keeping this occupation secure at the table for three decades with the support of the international community.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mİnsk Group did nothing since its founding other than secure the Armenian occupation and restrain Azerbaijan. This organization was established entirely to distract Azerbaijan. It served its function. But that is over now.

The attack on Tovuz is a well-planned and new invasion for Armenia, yet for the powers and capital groups backing it, it was a well-calculated step in terms of energy geopolitics.

Armenia undertook a multinational mission thinking, “Azerbaijan cannot do anything anyway.” Those endorsing Yerevan also thought they would easily change the energy equation saying, “Azerbaijan cannot do anything anyway.”

According to them, there would be shattering changes in energy geopolitics, and Yerevan would be victorious. The role cast for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Daesh in Iraq and Syria – due to the nature of the task – was similarly cast for Armenia in the Caucasus.

Tovuz was just the beginning of a major plan. It would continue – and, continue, it did. The Yerevan administration launched subsequent attacks that seemed baseless. It would expand its field of occupation, corner Azerbaijan, and doom it to certain agendas.

They launched this attempt based on their experiences accumulated in the last three decades. However, they failed to fathom that those three decades have come to an end. The joint military drills Turkey and Azerbaijan launched immediately after the attacks was the declaration that the Caucasus is no longer the same.

Turkey had changed – and is continuing to change – the game in Iraq, Syria, and the East Mediterranean. Now, that dynamic mind would change the game in the South Caucasus. That is exactly what happened. Azerbaijan responded to Armenia’s latest attacks with an unexpected, strong operation.

This shocked all the countries backing Yerevan, all the powers striving to alter energy geopolitics. They were not expecting it. They thought it impossible.

But Azerbaijan was resurrected. It made its presence felt as the most powerful country of the Caucasus. President Ilham Aliyev put forth incredible leadership with his brave and determined stance.

Now, Armenia is continuing what it has been doing for the last three decades. It is continuing to attack Azerbaijan. It is still targeting Azerbaijan’s cities and civilians. The cities, tens of kilometers within, that are attacked in the night and with missiles are not battlefields. Armenian and Azerbaijani cities are not battlefields. Azerbaijan is only conducting an operation on its own legitimate territories.

In other words, while Azerbaijan is conducting an operation, Armenia is conducting a war.

1- Armenia is moving the battle to civilian areas. It is trying to maintain through massacres the occupations it also started with massacres. It is using terrorist methods.

2- Armenia is trying to move the war outside Karabakh. This is a despicable military strategy. Yerevan is thus working towards breaking out a total Azerbaijan-Armenia war, and regionalizing the fight.

3- In its own way, it is trying to drag Russia and Iran into the war, to intervene in Azerbaijan, and activate the West.

4- Russia and Iran may not fall for this trap. Neither country should take this cheap bait.

5- But if they do come:

In stage 1, the war will change from Karabakh’s occupation into the Azerbaijan-Armenia war,

In stage 2, it will spread entirely through the South Caucasus.

In stage 3, it will cause deep tremors in Iranian Azerbaijan, and the West will use this against Iran.

In stage 4, it will have serious repercussions in the north of the Caucasus.

In stage 5 (the most dangerous), a major power struggle will begin between Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

6- Armenia, and the powers provoking this war are going to want to turn the struggle in question into a triad war. All three countries falling into such a trap means war for the whole region, from the Caucasus to the Persian Gulf, from the Black Sea to the East Mediterranean. This would be a great destruction.

7- The question is: Are the forces that drove Armenia to attack Azerbaijan, the process that was kick-started with the Tovuz attack, the mind behind it, aiming to start a trilateral war between Turkey, Russia, and Iran?

8- Russia and Iran must immediately remove this country from Karabakh and occupation areas. They must do this themselves. Also, this great trap must be taken seriously!

9- Little Yerevan is playing both Russia and Iran.