BAKU, September 20. /TASS/. The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan has rejected reports that its armed forces were shelling populated areas in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We strongly reject disinformation circulated on social networks by several Armenian accounts, related to the shelling of populated areas by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the Azerbaijani army has been striking only legitimate military targets with high-precision weaponry.

Earlier in the day, the ministry also rejected reports of using strike drones against targets in Nagorno-Karabakh. "We strongly deny this information," it said.

Besides, the ministry strongly denied shelling the Russian peacekeeping force’s positions in the area.

On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." Residents of the Armenian capital took to the streets to protest outside the Armenian government building, blaming the country’s leadership and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the situation.