U.S. Representative Judy Chu has said that Azerbaijan's continued violence against the Armenian people must end, amid recent escalation on the border between the two countries.

"My thoughts are with the innocent Armenians suffering from this violence," Chu said on Twitter.

"Azerbaijan's continued violence against the Armenian people must end. That is why every year, I call for ending the U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan which enables Azerbaijan to continue its aggression."

On July 12, Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltration attempts on the border with Armenia whose troops immediately identified the saboteurs and thwarted them back to their positions. Since the next morning, the Azerbaijani military has been firing on the Armenian positions, also using large caliber grenade launchers and combat drones to target civilian homes in several border settlements. Four servicemen of the Armenian army have been killed, 20 others and one civilian have been wounded, while Azerbaijan has reported 12 deaths.

In the wee hours of July 16, around 100 Azerbaijani troops launched another infiltration attempt, but were against thwarted back to their posts after suffering major losses. Several hours later, they began to shell Armenian villages, damaging as many as 10 houses, a kindergarten and other facilities overnight.