North and East Syria on High Alert: SDF Alleges Coordination Between Transitional Government and ISIS
The escalation, characterized by a series of synchronized military maneuvers and terror attacks, was documented extensively between November 15 and November 21, 2025. According to a report by the Hawar News Agency (ANHA), the region witnessed a "notable overlap" comprising 13 distinct attacks and security breaches during this period, involving heavy weaponry, suicide drones, and targeted assassinations. Corroborating the surge in violence, Al Mayadeen cited data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicating that ISIS cells have executed 224 operations within SDF-controlled areas since the beginning of 2025, resulting in nearly 100 fatalities, primarily among SDF ranks and security personnel.
Tensions reached a breaking point on November 19, when the SDF reported downing two drones near the village of Ghanem al-Ali in the eastern countryside of Raqqa. While the drones were identified as ISIS-operated, the SDF stated they were launched directly from positions held by the Syrian Transitional Government. The SDF released video footage purporting to show government factions facilitating ISIS activity, prompting a retaliatory strike on the launch sites.
This aerial escalation coincided with severe restrictions on civilian movement. On November 20, Transitional Government forces unilaterally closed the critical highway linking Raqqa to Deir ez-Zor between Albu Hamad and Ghanem al-Ali. The blockade left hundreds of civilians and vehicles stranded without explanation. Reports indicate that government forces at the Raqqa-Maadan checkpoint subsequently arrested dozens of young men traveling from North and East Syria. Concurrently, the government-affiliated "80th Division" reportedly targeted civilians in the village of Jib Abyad near Tabqa, injuring residents and damaging property.
While conventional forces clashed near Raqqa, ISIS cells ramped up asymmetric warfare in Deir ez-Zor. The violence included the burning of an educational complex in Gharanij and a failed assassination attempt on the co-chair of the al-Baghouz Municipality, Ahmad Nafea To’ma. Security sources reported that assailants chanting ISIS slogans fired on To’ma’s vehicle on November 15. Tragedies continued the following day when a member of the Internal Security Forces was ambushed and killed in Muhaymidah.
By November 21, clashes had intensified in the towns of Dhiban and Abriha. ISIS militants utilized rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns to target security checkpoints, drawing return fire from SDF units.
In a significant security development amid the chaos, the Internal Security Forces announced the dismantling of a terror cell in Hasakah. The captured operatives allegedly confessed to receiving funding, weaponry, and coordinates from handlers based in Damascus and Turkish-occupied Sere Kaniye, further fueling accusations by the SDF that the Transitional Government is actively destabilizing the region through proxy warfare. The SDF has vowed to maintain security patrols and confront all sources of fire to protect the civilian population.