Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, in a statement on Sunday, that his country is able to achieve the objectives of its military operation in the northern Tigray region "by itself".
Abiy Ahmed issued the statement on Twitter hours after the commander of Tigray's forces, Debretsion Gebremichael, announced that his forces were fighting forces from neighboring Eritrea in addition to the Ethiopian federal forces.
The statements of the Ethiopian Prime Minister came a few hours after the statements of the leader of the local forces in the Tigray region, in which he said that his forces fired missiles at the airport of the Eritrean capital Asmara on Saturday evening, confirming the reports of diplomats of a major escalation in the 12-day conflict in Ethiopia.
"Fighting is still going on on several fronts," Tigray President Gebremichael wrote in a text message to Reuters.
Shortly after the attack, five regional diplomats told Reuters that at least three missiles were fired from Ethiopia at the Eritrean capital on Saturday night, and three diplomats said at least two of those rockets landed on Asmara airport.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister had launched a military offensive in the northern Tigray region on the fourth of November, after he accused Tigray forces of attacking federal forces stationed in the northern region, which lies on the borders with Eritrea and Sudan.
Gebremichael also said in a text message that his forces had fought "16 pisions" of the Eritrean army "on several fronts" during the past few days, and he did not provide an estimate of the size of the forces he believed Eritrea had sent.
He added that Eritrean forces crossed the border into Ethiopia at the border towns of Badme, Rama and Zalambisa, which are located in the northern region.
He wrote in a text message to Reuters: "Our country is attacking us with the help of a foreign country, which is Eritrea. (It is) treason!" The government of Eritrea denied it was involved in the conflict.
Gebremichael said on Tuesday that Eritrea had sent troops across the border to support Abiy's government, but he did not provide evidence.
Follow the latest news on Google News
