Damascus Accuses SDF of Targeting Army in Manbij and Deir Hafer
Damascus claims SDF shelled army positions in Manbij/Deir Hafer, violating agreements. SDF counters that pro-government forces provoked tensions, vowing self-defense if assaults continue.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Syrian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday accused the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of shelling Syrian army positions in the Manbij and Deir Hafer areas, warning that such attacks undermine existing agreements with Damascus.
In a statement, the ministry claimed that SDF units had entrenched themselves near Syrian army positions in both areas and continued to launch attacks, while also blocking certain roads in Aleppo province. It called on the SDF to comply with all understandings reached with the Syrian government and to halt these assaults, stressing that they have “negative repercussions.”
In a counterstatement published on its official platform, the SDF said that in recent days, Syrian government-affiliated armed groups had attempted to provoke their forces under the pretext of suspicious movements in several locations, particularly in and around Deir Hafer. The SDF affirmed that they were exercising restraint but warned: “If these attacks persist, we will be compelled, within our legitimate right, to defend ourselves and respond.”
The SDF further noted that armed groups loyal to Damascus had gathered in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo, deploying weapons in the area. They also reported that an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft had been spotted circling the skies and that one such drone crashed and exploded near the area.
The SDF urged the Syrian government to protect social stability in Aleppo and surrounding regions and to refrain from actions that could reignite conflict.
