SDF Reports Deadly New Attacks by Syrian Forces in Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A fragile calm in northern Syria has been shattered by a series of deadly new attacks, with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announcing on Thursday that Syrian government forces and their affiliated armed groups have launched aggressive assaults on military positions in both Deir ez-Zor and eastern Aleppo, resulting in casualties on both sides. 

In a detailed statement, the SDF reported that a booby-trapped drone strike on a military point in a village east of Deir ez-Zor killed one of its fighters and wounded nine others, while a separate, coordinated ground assault near the Tishrin Dam in eastern Aleppo was repelled, leaving one attacker dead.

These fresh clashes represent a significant and dangerous escalation, threatening to unravel a delicate, U.S.-mediated peace process and reignite a conflict that had only just begun to de-escalate.

The Syrian Democratic Forces' Media Center provided a clear and detailed account of the two separate incidents, which it framed as unprovoked acts of aggression.

"The armed groups affiliated with the Syrian government took the initiative to attack a military point in the village of Marat in the area of the seven villages in eastern Deir ez-Zor with a booby-trapped drone," the statement read, confirming that "as a result of which one of our defenders was killed and nine others were wounded."

The SDF stated that its forces immediately responded to this attack, launching their own strikes on the base of the militants located on the west bank of the Euphrates River and "directly targeting several militants."

On the same day, a separate but seemingly coordinated attack took place further north, near the strategically vital Tishrin Dam in eastern Aleppo. According to the SDF, "Several armed groups affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense tried to reach the SDF's military points near the Tishrin Dam."

The statement detailed the nature of the assault, explaining that the militants "threw hand grenades at the SDF's defenders and tried to kill them only with bombs." The SDF reported that its fighters "immediately responded to the attack and killed one of the attacking militants, and the others fled, leaving the body of the killed person in its place."

In its statement, the SDF asserted its inherent right to self-defense and reiterated its core mission. The force "reiterates that it will defend the citizens and protect the stability and security of the region," the statement concluded, a clear warning that any further aggression will be met with a firm response.

These latest clashes are a deeply troubling development, coming just days after a series of high-level meetings in Damascus that were intended to solidify a ceasefire and advance a political roadmap for the integration of the SDF and its autonomous administration into the new Syrian state.

As previously reported by Kurdistan24, a pivotal meeting was held in Damascus on Tuesday, between SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi and Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The talks, which were also attended by senior U.S. officials including U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, were aimed at finding practical mechanisms for implementing the landmark March 10 Agreement.

That agreement, signed by Abdi and Sharaa shortly after the fall of the former regime, is a comprehensive political framework designed to integrate the Kurdish-led SDF and its administrative structures into the official Syrian state institutions while guaranteeing constitutional recognition of Kurdish rights.

The key outcomes of the Damascus talks, as outlined by the SDF's negotiation delegation, revolved around four principal points: the integration of the SDF into the national army, the establishment of a total ceasefire, constitutional reform, and the safe return of displaced persons.

However, the path to implementing this ambitious agreement has been fraught with challenges, and the recent violence highlights the deep-seated mistrust and unresolved tensions that persist on the ground.

The October 7 meeting in Damascus was itself precipitated by a series of deadly clashes in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, which had prompted both sides to agree to a ceasefire.

During that flare-up, Syrian government forces were accused of deploying explosive drones and reinforcing a siege around the Kurdish-held districts, while the SDF denied targeting government forces and accused pro-Damascus factions of initiating the hostilities.

The violence has not been limited to Aleppo. On October 5, the SDF reported that seven of its personnel were injured in a series of fresh attacks by Damascus-linked militants, including drone strikes on military and security vehicles near Deir Hafer.

These assaults came just two weeks after what the SDF described as the "Deir Hafer massacre," in which eight civilians, including five women and two children, were killed when Syrian government forces indiscriminately shelled residential homes.

At that time, the SDF stated that these repeated strikes were "clear efforts by the Damascus government’s militants to create chaos and destabilize northern and eastern Syria."

The recent escalation appears to coincide with a collapse in the U.S.-mediated dialogue. Sources close to the SDF had told Al-Arabiya al-Hadath that a planned meeting in Damascus had been derailed after the Syrian government "refused to meet with SDF officials," a move that effectively scuttled the political track for de-escalation.

This diplomatic breakdown has been accompanied by a tangible increase in military pressure. In Aleppo, the Syrian army has intensified restrictions, using bulldozers to erect new earth barriers and cut off major access points to the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, isolating residents and restricting the flow of essential goods.

In its October 5 statement, the SDF had accused government-affiliated factions of targeting civilian infrastructure, including the Tishrin Dam, with tank and artillery fire, calling the attacks "grave violations of ceasefire agreements."

This prompted a public outcry from the General Council of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, which convened a public assembly to condemn the renewed hostilities and reaffirm its full support for the SDF, which it described as "a national necessity and the only inclusive military force protecting Syria’s unity."

The new attacks on Thursday in both Deir ez-Zor and near the Tishrin Dam represent a dangerous continuation of this pattern of aggression. They directly challenge the spirit, if not the letter, of the March 10 Agreement and undermine the intensive diplomatic efforts being led by the United States to foster a sustainable peace.