On Saturday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his army entered Tigray's capital of Mekele in military operation against the region's dissident leaders, according to state media reports.
In breaking news, Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) quoted PM Abiy as saying "We've been able to enter Mekele city without innocent civilians being targets."
On his part, the country's military chief of staff Birhanu Jula said on Facebook that the army "has taken full control" of Mekele.
There was no immediate comment from the Tigrayan forces in the northern region who have been fighting government troops.
"However, the city had come under "heavy bombardment" by Ethiopian forces on Saturday," Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters news agency earlier in the day.
Ethiopia's military "has started hitting with heavy weaponry and artillery the center of Mekele," the local government said in a separate statement carried by Tigrayan media.
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