Explosions reported in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa

Explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopia's capital, some in the area of the military headquarters in the west and another in the south of the city, residents and diplomatic sources say.

The blasts came hours after drone flights were banned over Addis Ababa and a week after fighting erupted in the north between the army and a newly launched alliance of armed groups including forces from the Tigray region.

A source linked to the opposition fighters told the Reuters news agency they were behind what they said were drone strikes.

"It was very loud. It was strong enough to set off car alarms," a resident in a southern area of the city, near the base of the secret service, told BBC Amharic.

He estimated that he heard the explosion in the Gotera neighbourhood some time around 00:30 local time (21:30 GMT).

Another resident told the BBC that he and his friends were playing games when they heard an explosion.

He lives in the western suburb of Torhayloch, a neighbourhood close to the military headquarters.

There were no official reports confirming the cause of the explosions, the exact locations affected or whether there were any casualties or damage.

The office of Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the defence ministry as well as the federal and Addis Ababa police have not responded to BBC requests for comment.

Clashes broke out last week after months of tension between the government and the party that controls Tigray, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

They both accuse each other of violating a 2022 peace deal that ended a brutal two-year civil war, which according to an Africa Union mediator is estimated to have cost 600,000 lives.

Last month, seven armed movements, including the TPLF and an Amhara militia known as Fano, formed an alliance with the stated aim of removing the government in Addis Ababa.

There is disagreement over which side started the latest fighting.

The TPLF says it was responding to a federal offensive, including drone strikes, while the government says Tigrayan forces attacked first after seizing control of airports in the region.

The BBC is unable to report from Tigray and surrounding areas.

It is difficult to verify what is happening on the ground and access to the internet and the main telecoms service provider in Tigray have also been cut.

Within Tigray, the national army and a pro-government militia appear to be advancing towards the region's main city of Mekelle.

In the southern Tigrayan town of Alamata, a medic told the BBC on Wednesday that 52 civilians had died in three days of heavy fighting.

The TPLF is also reported to be fighting in neighbouring Afar region, a strategic area which connects landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti and its ports.

Fighting around Lalibela in the Amhara region, a Unesco world heritage site where foreign tourists have been stranded for more than a week, has involved the national army and Fano fighters, now allied to the TPLF.