SDF, Damascus-linked groups escalate clashes in Aleppo

Ongoing field escalation continues in the city of Aleppo and its eastern countryside, marked by clashes and mutual shelling between factions affiliated with the Syrian transitional government and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), along with the Kurdish internal security forces.

Local sources reported that Damascus-aligned factions shelled the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo. The Kurdish internal security forces then confirmed that government-linked groups had also deployed tanks and heavy military vehicles around the Ashrafieh neighborhood.

According to the Kurdish Hawar News Agency, Syrian government factions targeted both Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh with artillery. The internal security forces in Aleppo stated that factions aligned with Damascus launched a heavy assault using machine guns and artillery, warning of serious repercussions threatening civilian safety.

SDF drone attacks and counter-shelling reported
Meanwhile, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the Syrian army downed hostile drones launched by the SDF toward army positions in the Tishreen Dam area in the eastern Aleppo countryside.

Syrian state media outlet Al-Ikhbariya also said that SDF members stationed in the Ashrafieh neighborhood opened fire on internal security forces at the Sheikh Han Roundabout checkpoint. This incident led to road closures in the area and a heavy security deployment.

Local sources also noted that factions affiliated with the transitional government opened fire on internal security forces near the Sheikh Han Roundabout in Aleppo’s countryside. The situation remains tense between the armed factions and security forces, with no confirmed reports of human or material losses so far.

According to the same sources, SDF elements returned fire, while additional security reinforcements arrived at the roundabout to strengthen checkpoints and prevent further escalation.

Tensions flare once again
Tensions flared in northern Syria on Monday as the SDF reported an attack by factions allegedly linked to Damascus-affiliated factions near the Achrafieh district of Aleppo. The incident resulted in injuries to two members of the Internal Security Forces in Aleppo, according to an official SDF statement.

The SDF said the confrontation occurred near the Sheikh Han Roundabout, where one of its checkpoints, jointly operated with the General Security Forces, came under fire while personnel were conducting routine duties. The group described the attack as “an attempted assault carried out by factions affiliated with the Transitional Government in Damascus.”

In response, the SDF claimed to have exercised restraint, emphasizing that its actions were “proportional to the nature of the attack, carried out within the right to self-defense,” and aimed at preventing further escalation while ensuring the safety of civilians.

The death toll of the clashes was updated on Tuesday, and had risen to four people, with nine others wounded, amid conflicting accounts over responsibility for the violence.

Aleppo’s Health Directorate said the victims were civilians who were killed in shelling carried out by the SDF on residential neighborhoods in the city. The statement said the bombardment struck populated areas, resulting in civilian casualties.

SDF, however, categorically denied the accusations, rejecting claims that they targeted residential districts and disputing the official account of the incident.