Nagorno-Karabakh fighting spills into tenth day

08:10 GMT – Armed groups from Syria being deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, says Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said “Damascus can confirm” that armed groups from Syria were being deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, speaking in an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency.

Turkey and Azerbaijan have denied allegations from France, Russia and Iran that Ankara is sending Syrian mercenaries to take part in the fighting that broke out on September

08:00 GMT – Syria’s Assad calls Turkey’s Erdogan the ‘main instigator’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of being the main instigator of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, speaking in an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency.

The fighting has increased international concern that other regional powers could be dragged into the conflict – Turkey has expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan while Armenia has a defence pact with Russia.

07:50 GMT – Armenia reports calmer night

“After the calls of the international community to immediately stop military actions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, the line of conflict was relatively calm,” Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said.

Armenia’s foreign ministry issued a new call for an immediate ceasefire and said that “any attempt of military solution will be resolutely prevented.”

Ceasefire appeals by the United States, Russia and France have been ignored. The three countries have for years led mediation efforts in a conflict that broke out as the Soviet Union collapsed, it killed about 30,000 people.

Fighting in Nagorno Karabakh has spilled into a tenth day on Tuesday, with no sign of a let-up as Armenia and Azerbaijan continue their clash over the disputed region.

The two rivals are ignoring international appeals for a ceasefire, and have accused one another of causing civilian and military casualties.

On Monday, shelling continued in key cities.

Violence periodically flares up in the breakaway region, which is inside Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic Armenians, but the latest fighting has raised fears of an all-out war erupting.

Turkey has come under particular scrutiny from other countries because it has thrown its full support behind Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Turkey is facilitating the transfer of fighters from northern Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh to boost Azeri forces – a claim denied by both Baku and Ankara. More on that later.