Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan has said that "if it is war Azerbaijan wants, then war is what they are going to get."

His comments came hours after Azerbaijan launched a large-scale air and missile attack on Karabakh on Sunday, September 27, also targeting civilian settlements and the capital Stepanakert.

Harutyunyan urged the public to move to shelters and remain calm.

"Our armed forces are strong, our retaliation will be disproportionate and strict. Azerbaijan will pay for every loss," the Karabakh President said.

"This is a life or death fight, which we accept as a nation, and we'll win as a nation."

Karabakh Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan has reported deaths among civilians from the Armenian side.

Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan has said that the Karabakh army has downed two helicopters and three drones of the Azerbaijani army. According to the spokesperson, the Azerbaijani military has launched an air and missile attack on Artsakh.

Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan has already briefed Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, on the situation along the Karabakh contact line.

Karabakh President’s spokesperson Vahram Poghosyan has said the Azerbaijani military has been shelling the civilian settlements of Karabakh, including the capital Stepanakert.

The last major escalation on the contact line of Nagorno-Karabakh was in April 2016 when Azerbaijan resumed hostilities against Karabakh. Throughout the four-day military campaign, 64 soldiers, 13 volunteers and four civilians, including a child, were killed and more than 120 people were wounded on the Armenian side. According to information from the U.S. Department of State, Azerbaijan lost more than 270 people in total.