In one version of the story, the defence ministry said that the plane had been coming from Sudanese airspace and had been shot down.

In response Getachew Reda, the adviser to the Tigrayan leader, described the federal government as "clowns".

They "are making up stories about planes carrying weapons to Tigray and one of them being shot down by their Air Force. It’s a blatant lie!"

https://twitter.com/reda_getachew/status/1562448488654577665?s=20&t=3LwJqJe0ge5OlWP2SWa8gg

In a statement, the Tigrayan authorities said: "No plane entered Tigray; nor was an imaginary plane shot down."