Fresh rocket attack from Ethiopian rebels hits Eritrea, again
A member of the Amhara Special Forces watches on at the border crossing with Eritrea where an Imperial Ethiopian flag waves, in Humera, Ethiopia, on Nov. 22, 2020. (AFP)


Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has once again fired at least four rockets into Eritrea, media reports said on Friday.

Rockets fired by TPLF forces landed near residential areas in Eritrea's capital of Asmara, as well as towns including Dekemehari, Gemehalo and Nefasit, the Eritrean Press said in a report.

"There was one rocket coming from Tigray that seems to have landed south of Asmara", one diplomat said to Agence France-Presse (AFP), noting there was no immediate information available on casualties or damages.

A second diplomat said there were reports of another rocket striking a neighborhood in Asmara, but this remained unconfirmed.

No casualties have been reported yet.

Ethiopia accused the outlawed TPLF and its forces of trying to internationalize the military measures it has been facing from the Ethiopian National Defense Forces.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has for more than three weeks been waging a military campaign against the leadership of TPLF.

He announced the operations on Nov. 4, saying they came in response to attacks orchestrated by the TPLF on federal military camps.

The TPLF has accused Ethiopia of enlisting Eritrean military support, a charge Ethiopia denies.

Two weeks ago, TPLF fighters fired rockets targeting the airport in Asmara, Eritrea's capital. They also fired rockets targeting the airports of two cities in Ethiopia's Amhara regional state. The strikes exacerbated fears that Ethiopia's conflict could draw in the wider Horn of Africa region.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the TPLF for Friday's strike, nor was there comment from Ethiopia or Eritrea.

After more than three weeks of fighting that has killed hundreds and sent tens of thousands of refugees fleeing into neighboring Sudan, Abiy said this week the army was poised for a final offensive in the Tigrayan capital, Mekele, in the coming days.

Tigray has been under a communications blackout since military operations began, making claims of advances difficult to verify.

It was not immediately clear Friday night how close Ethiopian federal forces were to entering Mekele.

The international community has warned that an assault on Mekele, a city of half a million, could violate rules of war.

Earlier Friday Abiy, last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, met with envoys from the African Union to discuss the conflict.

But he has so far resisted calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and talks with TPLF leaders.