Tensions between Syrian government forces and the U.S.-partnered Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have escalated across the country’s north and east following renewed calls for a federal arrangement in the region, prompting clashes with pro-Damascus tribal fighters and mutual military buildups from Aleppo’s eastern countryside to Raqqa.
Citing local media and monitoring groups, the T24 reports that the flare-up follows the “Hasakah Conference,” formally known as the Conference of Unity of Stance of the Components of North and East Syria (Rojava), which gathered Kurdish, Arab, Syriac-Assyrian, Turkmen, Armenian, Circassian, and other civic, national, and political actors. Organizers stated that the aim was to establish an inclusive, democratic national path founded on diversity and equal citizenship. The Syrian Interim Government criticized the meeting, and organizers announced that planned participation in a forthcoming conference in Paris would not take place.
Amid rising tensions, an SDF delegation led by Ilham Ahmed traveled to Damascus for talks with a government negotiating team; no outcome was disclosed. Following a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan publicly warned the SDF to implement a March 10 agreement signed with Damascus. In the wake of those remarks, both Syrian government units and the SDF reinforced their positions and deployed reinforcements to potential front lines.
Fresh Clashes
In Deir ez-Zor province, clashes that began on multiple fronts intensified between Syrian government and allied tribal forces on one side and the SDF on the other, with armored columns reported moving east to support government troops. Citing Syria TV and local sources, the report says overnight and early-morning fighting flared along stretches of the Euphrates’ western bank. In the Garanic area, at least five fighters on both sides were wounded amid heavy exchanges, and tribal gunmen reportedly abducted several SDF members, prompting a broad SDF search operation.
Farther north, factions of the Syrian National Army (including the Sultan Suleyman Shah and Hamza divisions) and the SDF massed forces along the line running from Deir Hafir in eastern Aleppo to Akireş in Raqqa’s eastern countryside, deploying armored vehicles and medium-to-heavy weapons. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported rising military tension on these fronts and additional reinforcements to the east Aleppo and Raqqa areas. The SDF has raised its alert level and strengthened fortifications across multiple sectors in anticipation of possible wider confrontations.