Fighting has escalated between Ethiopian troops and Tigrayan forces, triggering the suspension of flights to the holy town of Lalibela amid fears of a return to full-scale war in the north of the country.

Ethiopia’s federal army said it repelled attacks in Amhara’s North Wollo Zone and killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 others in a counteroffensive. Northeast army commander Lieutenant General Assefa Chekol said fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and allied groups attempted to break through at several locations.

“The army is carrying out the crucial task of clearing the occupied zone of the enemy by conducting targeted counter-attacks from key military positions it holds,” Chekol said in a statement on Thursday.

The suspension of flights to Lalibela, home to UNESCO-listed rock-hewn churches, came a day after TPLF-linked forces seized airports in Mekelle, Axum, and Shire. Ethiopian Airlines also halted flights to these three cities in Tigray.

The two sides give conflicting accounts of how the fighting began. On Wednesday, an adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused the TPLF of launching an “all-out offensive” against government positions in Amhara and Afar. Tigray’s regional authorities said their troops entered a “defensive battle” after federal forces attacked them with aircraft, drones, and artillery on Tuesday.

“We are in the situation of full-blown war now,” TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa told AFP on Thursday.

The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. A power struggle between his government and Tigray’s leaders erupted into war in November 2020. Eritrean troops and Amhara forces fought alongside the federal army against Tigrayan forces. Hundreds of thousands died before an African Union-mediated peace agreement was signed in 2022. The agreement ended the large-scale war, but disputes over territory, the return of displaced people, and the disarmament of Tigrayan forces remain unresolved.

In May, the TPLF restored Tigray’s prewar regional council and elected party leader Debretsion Gebremichael as president following a dispute over the region’s leadership.

The latest escalation follows Sunday’s announcement of an alliance between the TPLF and six other groups, including its former Amhara adversaries, seeking to remove Abiy’s government.

The African Union has condemned the violence, warning that “the formation of new political and military alliances” risks further destabilizing the region and “reversing the gains made to silencing the guns, since 2020.” It said the airport seizures and detention of federal personnel violate the 2022 peace agreement, asking AU mediator and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to reengage with the parties. The UN has called for civilian protection and humanitarian access.