Two civilians were killed and four others were injured in an attack by government-affiliated forces in Aleppo, said the SDF. 

"Two civilians killed and four others injured as a result of shelling and sniper fire carried out by Damascus government-affiliated factions targeting the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo at noon today," said the SDF in a statement. 

It added that the "threat" Damascus issued - in indirect reference to the curfew announced earlier in the day by the army - "constitutes a prelude to committing massacres and mass killing against civilians, and we hold them fully responsible and accountable for all consequences of any subsequent crime."

 

US is "closely monitoring" the tensions in Aleppo, a State Department spokesperson said.

"The United States is closely monitoring the situation.  We urge restraint on all sides," the spokesperson told Rudaw's Diyar Kurda.  

"All parties should focus on how to build a peaceful, stable Syria that protects and serves the interests of all Syrians, rather than pushing the country back into a cycle of violence," they added. 

 

Syrian forces have resumed attacks on the Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood in Aleppo following a brief lull in fighting.

 

 

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani said he is monitoring the attacks on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo by state forces "with deep concern."

"I hope that all parties exercise restraint and deal wisely with these unwanted developments, and that issues are resolved through responsible dialogue and negotiations," he added. "I support any effort aimed at de-escalating the situation and resolving the issues through peaceful means."

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - President Masoud Barzani warned that there is a "serious threat" to civilian lives in Aleppo, further cautioning that there is also "the danger of ethnic cleansing against Kurds in that area."

“The dangerous situation and the fighting and violence currently taking place in the city of Aleppo are deeply concerning and pose a serious threat to the lives of civilians and innocent citizens. There is also the danger of ethnic cleansing against Kurds in that area,” said President Barzani. 

He also called on the Syrian government “not to turn political disagreements into ethnic conflict, and not to allow the issues and problems in the Aleppo area to result in pressure, oppression, displacement from ancestral lands, or ethnic cleansing against Kurdish citizens.”

 

 

Syrian army has denied launching any advance operations towards Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo. It also accused Kurdish forces of targeting civilians, reported state media.

"Soon, security and stability will be imposed in the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in an appropriate manner to protect civilians from the oppression of the SDF," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited a statement by the army.

 

Kurdish security forces in Aleppo on Wednesday accused “rogue factions” affiliated with the Damascus interim government of carrying out “grave attacks” against Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in northern Aleppo, urging residents to shelter in place after Damascus declared Kurdish quarters military zones.

In a statement posted on X, internal Kurdish security forces (Asayish) said they “strongly condemn the grave attacks carried out by rogue factions affiliated with the Damascus [interim] government against residents of the Sheikh Maqsood, Ashrafiyeh and Bani Zaid neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo.”

Asayish reported the attacks caused civilian casualties and property damage, describing the escalation as “a direct result of aggressive policies and repeated provocations” by Damascus-aligned factions. 

Kurdish residents are facing a “suffocating security and humanitarian siege,” Asayish maintained, as armed factions attempt to “advance with tanks and armored vehicles, and the targeting of residential neighborhoods with mortar shells, rocket launchers, Grad missiles and drones.”

The Syrian army on Wednesday declared the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh a “closed military zone” starting at 3 pm local time, urging residents to avoid Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions.

The army earlier designated “all military outposts” it claims are held by the SDF in these areas as “legitimate military targets.” The SDF has repeatedly claimed that they have no military presence in Ashrafiyeh or Sheikh Maqsood. 

Asayish urged Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood residents to “stay home and not be swayed by fake news and rumors aimed at displacement and forced migration.”

The interim Damascus government is “fully and directly responsible” for “the dangerous escalation threatening the lives of thousands of civilians,” Asayish stated. They pledged to remain “steadfast and resolute in defending your security and safety against any threat.”

Elham Ahmad, a top official in Kurdish-led northeast Syria (Rojava), also urged residents of Aleppo’s Kurdish areas to “protect their neighborhoods and homes by sheltering in place.”

Ahmad called on locals to cooperate with the Asayish “to maintain calm in light of current circumstances.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation in the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods and are working to find solutions to the events through peaceful means and dialogue,” Ahmad told local reporters.

 

Turkey-based pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) warned that attacks by Damascus-affiliated forces on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo threaten agreements between both sides and endanger the lives of more than 200,000 civilians.

"Efforts to hand over Syria to a monolithic regime and understanding in Damascus are extremely wrong, fragmenting and triggering a new conflict. These efforts are never acceptable. Our solidarity with those who resist these efforts will continue," said the party.

Ann Snow, UK Special Representative for Syria, said on Wednesday on X that they are "Deeply concerned" about clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus-affiliated forces in Aleppo, calling for "immediate de-escalation, dialogue and the protection of civilians."

"We continue to monitor the situation closely," she added. 

 

The Syrian army on Wednesday declared the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in northern Aleppo a “closed military zone” effective after 3 pm local time, urging residents to stay away from positions it claims belong to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it earlier designated as “legitimate military targets.”

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted the army’s Military Operations Administration (MOA) as saying that the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods would be “considered closed military zones after 3 pm,” warning civilians to avoid what it described as SDF posts in the area.

According to the MOA, two humanitarian corridors were established to allow civilians to leave the neighborhoods and would remain open until the deadline. The crossings at al-Awarid and al-Zuhour Street - locations it said are well known to local residents - were designated for evacuation until that time.

SANA also reported that Syrian Civil Defense teams began evacuating families trapped in their homes in several Aleppo neighborhoods on Wednesday morning and are assisting residents to relocate to safer areas within the city, “at their request.”

Officials from Aleppo’s Kurdish majority Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods said on Wednesday that they are “facing a massive war,” warning of indiscriminate shelling and efforts to force residents to flee.

Speaking at a press conference in Sheikh Maqsood, Nouri Sheikho, co-chair of the civilian council administering both neighborhoods, said, “We once again reiterate our call to the general public and all four parts of Kurdistan [northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and western Iran]: we are facing a massive war in which [the opposing force] is using all types of heavy weaponry.”

He added that the neighborhoods are being targeted to intimidate civilians, saying they are “bombarding the neighborhoods indiscriminately to terrorize the residents and force them to evacuate so they can occupy these areas themselves.”

In the presser, which was also attended by Hevin Sulaiman, co-chair of both neighborhoods’ council, Sheikho said residents and local security forces are resisting the attacks.

“Side by side with the Internal Security Forces (Asayish), we are mounting a historic resistance, and we will turn these neighborhoods into the site of a great victory in history,” he said.

 

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported on Wednesday that at least seven civilians have been killed and 52 others injured in ongoing shelling of the predominantly Kurdish Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood and neighborhoods in Aleppo.

In a post on X, the SDF said the casualties resulted from bombardment by “factions affiliated with the Damascus [interim] government,” adding that the attacks involved “tank fire and drone strikes” and are ongoing.

The statement added that the two quarters remain “under full siege,” with the entry of food, medical supplies, and other essential goods blocked, worsening humanitarian conditions and “endangering the lives of thousands of civilians.”

The SDF also warned that more than “80 tanks and heavy military vehicles” have been deployed around the neighborhoods, calling it “a serious warning sign of a potential large-scale escalation” and raising fears of a broader conflict “amid continued international silence.”

A senior official from the Kurdish-led administration of northeast Syria (Rojava) warned on Wednesday that the defense ministry of Syria’s interim government has declared a “war of extermination against the Kurds,” after the Syrian army signalled unprecedented escalation against the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in northern Aleppo.

Elham Ahmed, a leading figure of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), said in a post on X that the ministry “has declared war on the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, which are densely populated by civilians.”

She described the move as “a war of extermination against the Kurds, who have already suffered under the injustices of the previous [Baath] regime,” detailing that “the majority of the residents of these neighborhoods are forcibly displaced persons” from the predominantly Kurdish region of Afrin in northern Syria.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Syrian army had signaled a major escalation, declaring that “all military outposts” it claims belong to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Kurdish-majority areas of northern Aleppo are “legitimate military targets,” despite the Kurdish-led forces’ reiterations that they maintain no military presence in the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods.

Ahmad added that the neighborhoods had already been placed under a “tight siege” by forces affiliated with the defense ministry. “Despite the Kurds’ commitment to the April 1 [ceasefire] agreement with the interim authorities, Damascus has not upheld the accord and has ignored our persistent attempts at dialogue,” she said.

The top Rojava official, who serves as the co-chair of foreign relations for the DAANES, urged Syrian government officials “to take responsibility for what is unfolding and to pursue the path of reason and logic, resolving [complex] problems through dialogue, rather than war and conflict.”

“Syrians have suffered enough from wars,” Ahmad asserted.

 

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian army on Wednesday signaled a major escalation, declaring that “all military outposts” it claims belong to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Kurdish-majority areas of northern Aleppo are “legitimate military targets,” Syrian state media reported. This comes despite reiterations from the Kurdish-led forces that they maintain no military presence in the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited the Syrian army's Military Operations Administration (MOA) as saying, “We announce that all military sites of the SDF within the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh are legitimate military targets for the Syrian Arab Army.”

The MOA added that this follows "the group’s [SDF's] significant escalation toward Aleppo neighborhoods and its committing numerous massacres against civilians.”

Of note, the SDF is the de facto military force in Rojava and a key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 10 signed a landmark agreement outlining the integration of “all civil and military institutions” in Rojava into the Syrian state administration - including the SDF - and establishing a nationwide ceasefire.

A follow-up agreement signed in early April, in the presence of American representatives, established a joint security framework for the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods. Under the agreement, SDF fighters withdrew from both areas, while local security forces - namely the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) - remained deployed.

Despite repeatedly denying involvement in the intermittent clashes that erupted in Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh, Syrian state media have consistently accused the SDF of involvement.

The unprecedented escalation comes as local officials from the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods told Rudaw on Wednesday that “Damascus-affiliated factions” are carrying out “indiscriminate attacks with heavy weapons and drones” on residential areas in Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood.

Hevin Sulaiman, co-chair of the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods’ council, described the situation in the two areas as “a humanitarian catastrophe,” calling for “urgent intervention” from “the international community and the Global Coalition forces to support the civilian population” and pressure Damascus to “stop the war.”

She further appealed to President Masoud Barzani and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani to “intervene in their own capacity, as this massacre is being carried out against the Kurdish people,” adding that “this conflict can be resolved through dialogue, and war serves no party’s interest.”

Syrian state media on Tuesday reported that one soldier and three civilians were killed in Aleppo in what it described as SDF drone and shelling attacks on residential areas in northern Aleppo. The Kurdish-led forces rejected the claim, accusing Damascus-affiliated factions of indiscriminately targeting Kurdish neighborhoods, killing at least six people, including two children.