Macron tells Syrian president ‘concerned’ over ongoing attacks on SDF

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday told Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in a phone call that France is “concerned” about the escalating conflict in Syria and “the continuation of the offensive conducted by the Syrian authorities” against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“I expressed to him our deep concern regarding the escalation in Syria and the continuation of the offensive conducted by the Syrian authorities,” Macron said in a post on X, without mentioning the SDF.

The remarks come amid escalating fighting between Damascus forces and the SDF, with factions affiliated with the Syrian government reportedly capturing the city of Tabqa in Raqqa province, south of the Euphrates River.

“A permanent ceasefire is necessary, and an agreement must be reached on the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the Syrian state, on the basis of the exchanges from last March. The unity and stability of Syria depend on it,” Macron added.

Macron said on Saturday that the Syrian army must “immediately” halt attacks on the SDF, warning that France and the European Union cannot support the current approach taken by the interim government in Damascus.

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) on Sunday announced a state of “general mobilization” in support of the SDF and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), citing what it described as “an existential war” launched by Damascus and allied militant groups in violation of an internationally mediated truce.

In January 2025, Macron said France would not abandon “freedom fighters, like the Kurds” who are fighting militant groups in Syria, adding at the time that “We must regard the regime change in Syria without naivety.”

The SDF has accused the Syrian army of violating a truce brokered on Friday by the US and other international actors.

The Kurdish-led force said on Saturday that Syrian government forces and affiliated factions attacked its positions as its fighters were preparing to withdraw from Deir Hafer and Maskanah in eastern Aleppo, as well as from the Thawra oil field near Tabqa, a former Islamic State stronghold in the Raqqa countryside.

France has been actively involved in efforts toward a political solution to the Kurdish issue in Syria. International efforts are underway to halt the latest round of fighting.