France 'deplores' resumption of clashes in Aleppo’s Kurdish quarters

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - France on Saturday condemned the renewed armed clashes between Kurdish security forces and factions allied with Damascus in northern Aleppo.

“France deplores the resumption of fighting in Aleppo, particularly in the Sheikh Maqsood district,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It urged “all parties to immediately return to the ceasefire, facilitate access for humanitarian aid, and protect the civilian population.”

The statement came less than an hour after the Syrian Arab Army claimed full control of the predominantly Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood. Minutes later, the Kurdish administration of northeastern Syria (Rojava) dismissed these reports, stating that fighting was still ongoing.

“France supports proposals aimed at ensuring the protection of all civilians in Aleppo, as the Syrian government has pledged, and at enabling a dignified withdrawal of combatants,” the ministry added.

It reaffirmed France’s continued cooperation with international partners, “primarily the United States, to restore security and stability to Aleppo within the framework of a united, sovereign, and pluralistic Syria.”