ALBAWABA- Renewed clashes broke out in northern Aleppo on Tuesday between Syrian government forces and the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), killing at least five people, including a Syrian soldier and civilians, and injuring at least 15 others, among them children, according to state media.
The fighting centered on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods, where artillery shelling, drone strikes, and heavy exchanges of fire triggered civilian displacement and raised fears of wider escalation.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that SDF shelling struck residential areas, prompting a military response by government forces.
The Syrian Defense Ministry accused the SDF of violating a March 10 ceasefire and integration agreement, saying the attacks were aimed at derailing talks to incorporate the SDF into the national army.
The army said it struck SDF firing positions, drone launch sites, and an ammunition depot. Aleppo’s governor urged residents to avoid affected areas and said authorities were working to contain the situation.
The SDF rejected the accusations, blaming Damascus-aligned forces for “indiscriminate shelling” and denying responsibility for starting the clashes.
Separately, fighting was reported between the SDF and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army factions in Aleppo’s eastern countryside near the Tishrin Dam, involving light and medium weapons and resulting in casualties on both sides.
Syrian forces closed the Deir Hafer crossing following the clashes, suspending the movement of goods and fuel amid heightened military alert.
The violence comes as efforts to integrate the SDF into Syria’s national military remain stalled in the aftermath of the Assad regime’s fall. Regional tensions remain high, with Turkey closely watching developments.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart, Asad Hassan al-Shibani, in Paris, with Turkish sources saying discussions included bilateral issues such as border security and Kurdish armed groups.
Continued clashes could unravel fragile arrangements in northern Syria. The United Nations has renewed calls for restraint, urging all sides to protect civilians amid an already severe humanitarian crisis.
