Azerbaijani forces have shot down an Armenian drone, the country's defense ministry said late Sunday.

The ministry said in a statement that an Armenian aircraft had been detected flying over positions of Azerbaijani armed forces in the Fuzuli district of the southern part of the country and was shot down by soldiers.

Last week, Azerbaijan reclaimed some strategic hills and residential zones illegally occupied by Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh region. 12 Azerbaijani soldiers have died in the operations.

Pro-Armenian militia has occupied Azerbaijan's Karabakh region since 1993, similar to how pro-Russian militia have illegally occupied parts of Ukraine since 2014.

Three UN Security Council Resolutions (853, 874 and 884) and United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 19/13 and 57/298 refer to Karabakh as being part of Azerbaijan.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refers to the territory as being occupied by Armenian forces.