SDF, Damascus claim involvement of Iranian, Turkish drones in latest conflict

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Saturday that a Turkish drone targeted its positions in northern Syria (Rojava), while the Syrian Arab Army accused the SDF of using Iranian-made drones to strike Aleppo, as clashes continued in the city’s Kurdish-majority areas.

The SDF said that “in a serious escalation that confirms direct Turkish military intervention in Syria… a Turkish ‘Akinci’ unmanned aerial vehicle targeted a military position of our forces” in the Haq al-Thawra area south of Tabqa in Raqqa province at 6 pm, causing material damage.

The Kurdish-led force said the strike was “the first of its kind” since Turkey and the Syrian factions it backs launched attacks on the strategic Tishreen Dam southeast of Manbij last November, before the SDF and Damascus reached an agreement in March declaring a nationwide ceasefire.

The SDF said the drone attack is “constituting a clear violation of the existing understandings and revealing Turkey’s determination to play a direct military role in Syria.”

Meanwhile, state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited the Syrian Arab Army Operations Command as saying the SDF targeted Aleppo “with more than 10 Iranian-made drones, causing multiple injuries and significant property damage.” The command said it responded by striking the drone launch sites “using appropriate measures.”

Tehran and Ankara have not confirmed their alleged involvement in the Aleppo violence.

Clashes erupted Tuesday between Kurdish internal security forces, known as Asayish, and Damascus-affiliated forces in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo. Both sides have traded blame for the fighting. A brief ceasefire aimed at facilitating negotiations collapsed, and violence has continued.

The Syrian Arab Army claimed on Saturday that it had concluded its operation after taking control of both neighborhoods. The Asayish rejected the claim, saying fighting was still ongoing in Sheikh Maqsood.

Turkey has backed several armed factions that have joined Syria’s new army and remains one of Damascus’s key regional allies. There is no confirmed relationship between Iran and the SDF. Tehran was a staunch supporter of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime but has yet to establish ties with the transitional government.