According to the Politico website, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a small group of lawmakers last week that his department was studying the possibility that Azerbaijan could soon invade Armenia, according to two people familiar with the matter. According to the newspaper, the existence of this briefing testifies to the Biden administration's deep concern about Azerbaijan's operations against Nagorno-Karabakh, a separatist region in the west of the country, and the fear of an extension of the conflict.
Blinken reportedly held the briefing with at least three Democratic lawmakers, including former House Speaker and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Two other people confirmed that such a meeting had taken place on the situation in Azerbaijan, but did not provide details. Since then, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, who was also present at the briefing, has publicly stated that he fears a possible invasion of Azerbaijan in the near future. "Aliyev is moving forward with his goal of taking southern Armenia," Pallone tweeted on Wednesday, saying his "regime is emboldened after suffering few consequences" for overrunning Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan's military incursion into the region last month has forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee Nagorno-Karabakh. Local leaders capitulated as part of a Russian-brokered capitulation.