The complex and volatile situation in and around Aleppo has taken another dramatic turn. While fierce clashes between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to rock eastern neighborhoods of the city, a surprising ceasefire has reportedly been reached on a separate front in the northern Aleppo countryside between the SDF and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
According to a report from Turkish news outlet Kısadalga, a U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement has been reached between the SDF and HTS, aiming to end recent violent confrontations in the Afrin region and northern Aleppo. The development signals a major, albeit potentially fragile, shift in the alliances and fault lines of northern Syria.
The agreement reportedly includes several key points:
- A complete cessation of hostilities between the two factions.
- The withdrawal of HTS forces from areas they recently entered.
- The release of detainees held by both sides.
- The formation of a joint military committee to resolve future disputes.
- The reopening of crucial crossings between their respective territories.
Most significantly, the deal is set to be solidified in a direct meeting between SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazlum Abdi and HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. The reported involvement of the United States and the international coalition in mediating a deal between its key partner, the SDF, and a group it designates as a terrorist organization, HTS, marks a stunning diplomatic maneuver that could reshape the dynamics of the Syrian conflict.
This ceasefire in the north, however, does not affect the separate and ongoing battle inside Aleppo city. Government forces, backed by allied militias, have continued their push into SDF-held districts, with heavy shelling and street-to-street fighting reported in al-Haidariya and Hanano. The SDF appears to be defending its positions tenaciously, but the opening of a second front against HTS in recent weeks had stretched its resources thin.
The new ceasefire with HTS could potentially allow the SDF to redeploy fighters and resources to reinforce their positions against the Syrian government's advance in the city. However, the situation remains fluid, with analysts cautioning that such agreements in Syria are notoriously fragile. For now, Aleppo remains a microcosm of the wider war: a city where one front may be cooling due to pragmatic, high-stakes diplomacy, while another continues to burn with unresolved intensity.
Previous Update
Fierce clashes erupted between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday, shattering a tense calm in the northern city of Aleppo. The fighting, centered around the SDF-controlled neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, has resulted in casualties, widespread road closures, and fears of a major military escalation in a city already scarred by years of conflict.
According to a report by Enab Baladi, the fighting involved heavy exchanges of sniper fire, as well as artillery and mortar shelling that reportedly struck civilian areas. In response to the escalating violence, local authorities sealed off major thoroughfares, including al-Siryan Street and the Tishreen Bridge, causing significant traffic disruption. State media reported that the clashes resulted in one death and three injuries among government-aligned Internal Security Forces after their checkpoints were allegedly targeted by the SDF, a claim the SDF denies.
Official narratives from the warring parties diverge sharply. The Syrian Ministry of Defense, via the state-run SANA news agency, framed its military movements as part of a "redeployment plan" following "repeated attacks" by the SDF. The ministry insisted it was not launching a new military operation and remained committed to a previous agreement. Conversely, the SDF released a statement on its social media channels blaming the escalation on "provocations by government-affiliated factions" and an attempted advance with tanks into their territory.
Beneath the competing claims, an anonymous military source speaking to Enab Baladi suggested the conflict stems from a breakdown in negotiations. The source revealed that the Syrian government had demanded the SDF withdraw completely from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, handing them over to state security supervision. A meeting held two weeks prior failed to produce an agreement, with both sides rejecting the other’s conditions, leading directly to the current military pressure. The government, according to the source, is determined to remove any armed groups operating outside of its authority within the city.
This week’s violence is the culmination of weeks of rising tensions. On September 22, the Syrian army dispatched armored reinforcements to the neighborhoods' outskirts after an incident where the SDF allegedly targeted a Defense Ministry vehicle, killing a soldier. The SDF claimed at the time that it was repelling an attack by "rogue factions" affiliated with Damascus. The current hostilities mark a severe deterioration from earlier in the year, when a Hawar News Agency report from April 5 indicated an agreement was in place for Internal Security Forces to assume protection of the neighborhoods, a plan that has now evidently collapsed into open conflict.
Photo: Enab Baladi