U.S. warns Syrian attack against SDF could escalate into wider conflict
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Senior U.S. officials have voiced concern that a new Syrian military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could expand into a broader campaign targeting U.S.-backed forces, threatening to destabilize Syria and deepen divisions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The Wall Street Journal quoted two U.S. officials as saying that American intelligence agencies have assessed that Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa is planning a large, multi-front military operation, backed by the Turkish army, against the SDF in eastern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria.
The operation “could extend the fighting into northeastern Syria where most U.S. forces are deployed.”
These developments come amid heightened security and military tensions between the SDF and forces of the Syrian transitional government, which recently launched an assault on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo.
On Friday evening, SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi announced the withdrawal of SDF forces from Dayr Hafir and Maskanah in eastern Aleppo as a goodwill gesture aimed at completing integration efforts and adhering to the provisions of the March 10 agreement. Syria’s Ministry of Defense welcomed the withdrawal decision.
U.S. lawmakers and military officials are particularly concerned that if “the fighting extends into northeastern Syria, the Syrian Kurdish fighters guarding hundreds of Islamic State prisoners in facilities across the region will leave their posts, resulting in the escape of many.”
One U.S. official said intelligence officials are debating the scope of the potential operation. While some believe al-Sharaa intends to limit the fighting to Aleppo Governorate, “others think he is eyeing a broader operation involving troops moving from the west to the Euphrates and south from the border with Turkey, the official said.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the official added that military intelligence assessments indicate al-Sharaa has already approved the larger operation.
The official said U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, and the commander of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, have been holding daily contacts with both sides in an effort to prevent the offensive from expanding.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance also spoke with al-Sharaa, urging him to resolve differences with the Kurds, according to a person familiar with the conversation.
The official added that U.S. officials have warned of the possible reimplementation of Caesar Act sanctions on the Syrian transitional government if Damascus proceeds with a broader attack.