Syria declares 2 SDF-held towns in Aleppo military zones
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – The Ministry of Defense of the Syrian transitional government announced on Tuesday that the towns of Dayr Hafir and Maskanah in Aleppo eastern countryside have been designated as military zones, despite being under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
In a statement, the Operations Directorate of the Syrian army issued a warning declaring Dayr Hafir, Babiri Qawas, and Maskanah “closed military zones as of today.”
The ministry said the decision was prompted by what it described as military mobilization by the SDF and allegations that the areas were used as launch points for Iranian suicide drones that targeted the city of Aleppo.
On Monday, the SDF rejected what it called “misleading statements” issued by the Damascus government’s Defense Ministry regarding the security situation around Maskanah and Dayr Hafir.
In a statement, the SDF said that current field movements were primarily carried out by factions affiliated with the Damascus government itself, adding that repeating such claims for a second time amounted to an attempt to manufacture tensions and create pretexts for escalation.
The SDF said it holds the parties behind these statements fully responsible for any potential consequences.
The developments come a week after the Syrian Defense Ministry announced the launch of a military operation in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh.
The two neighborhoods witnessed heavy clashes between the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and government troops, which ended with the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters to areas east of the Euphrates under understandings reached between the SDF and Damascus.