Prominent US senator warns Syria against ‘human rights abuses’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Lindsey Graham, a powerful US senator, on Wednesday warned Syria’s interim government that “human rights abuses against minorities will not be tolerated” amid reports of Syrian army violations as they seized areas in Aleppo. He added that any offensive against US allied Kurdish-led forces would “invoke a strong reaction from the United States.”
Graham, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a post on X he was tracking “credible reports” that Syrian Arab Army and Turkish forces “may be advancing further” against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF.) The SDF is a longtime US ally that works closely with American troops in areas once held by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Syrian Arab Army launched a military operation to expel Kurdish fighters from Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighborhoods last week, killing dozens of people and displacing around 150,000. There have been conflicting reports about the exact number of casualties.
Footage showing the jihadist-led army throwing a Kurdish fighter off a building and disrespecting civilians have concerned many, including the United Nations.
“After years of war, the role of Syria’s new government and armed forces is to safeguard the inherent rights of its citizens, not to infringe upon them,” he said in a post on X.
Graham on Wednesday endorsed Risch’s remarks.
“I completely endorse and support Senator Risch’s call for calm in Syria, putting the new Syrian government on notice that human rights abuses against minorities will not be tolerated,” said the senator. “While I support giving this new Syrian government a chance, I will not tolerate or accept a brazen attack against our Kurdish allies, who are the main force in destroying the ISIS caliphate and have been strongly aligned with Israel throughout the years.”
Syria's defense ministry on Tuesday declared the SDF-controlled eastern Aleppo towns of Deir Hafir and nearby Maskanah military zones, ordering the SDF to withdraw from west of the Euphrates River to the east. Kurdish positions in the towns and areas near the strategic Tishreen Dam came under attack including from Turkish drones, the SDF reported.
The SDF said government forces attacked at least twelve times on Wednesday, warning that there are “systematic attempts to drag the region into a war.”
“This simultaneous escalation since dawn today comes amid the continuation of military operations up to the present moment, which heightens expectations of an expansion of the scope of confrontations and their serious repercussions on civilians, infrastructure, and vital facilities. The Damascus factions bear full responsibility for this escalation and the resulting humanitarian and security consequences in the region,” read a statement from the SDF.
The Kurdish-led force also said Turkey has been providing aerial support to the Syrian army and affiliated factions. Ankara has not confirmed its involvement in the conflict but its senior officials have held multiple meetings with their Syrian counterparts in recent days. Turkey is among the regional allies of the interim government in Damascus.
Senator Graham advised Damascus and its regional ally, Turkey, to “choose wisely.”
The Syrian Arab Army and the SDF have engaged in heavy clashes in northern Syria since last week as the Syrian military and Turkish-backed armed groups attacked Kurdish forces. Both Damascus and the SDF accuse each other of violating a March 2025 agreement that failed to integrate the civilian and military institutions of the Kurdish-controlled region in northeast Syria (Rojava) into the government.
The Syrian Arab Army has used the SDF’s alleged troops deployment and reinforcements in Aleppo and alleged ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a pretext for its latest attacks. The SDF called the allegations "misleading."
The PKK was dissolved last year as part of a peace process with Turkey after a four-decade conflict. Ankara claims that the SDF is affiliated with the PKK.
Graham, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a post on X he was tracking “credible reports” that Syrian Arab Army and Turkish forces “may be advancing further” against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF.) The SDF is a longtime US ally that works closely with American troops in areas once held by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Syrian Arab Army launched a military operation to expel Kurdish fighters from Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighborhoods last week, killing dozens of people and displacing around 150,000. There have been conflicting reports about the exact number of casualties.
Footage showing the jihadist-led army throwing a Kurdish fighter off a building and disrespecting civilians have concerned many, including the United Nations.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, a Republican, said on Tuesday shared a report by an independent rights group confirming the desecration of the female Kurdish fighter in Aleppo. He said he was “gravely concerned about the conduct of armed forces” in Aleppo and urged Damascus “to hold accountable those who committed these egregious acts.”Kurdish forces on Wednesday identified the female fighter who was killed and thrown off a building by the Syrian Arab Army in Aleppo during the recent violence as Deniz Ciya. pic.twitter.com/gTEQ691AKY
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) January 14, 2026
“After years of war, the role of Syria’s new government and armed forces is to safeguard the inherent rights of its citizens, not to infringe upon them,” he said in a post on X.
Graham on Wednesday endorsed Risch’s remarks.
“I completely endorse and support Senator Risch’s call for calm in Syria, putting the new Syrian government on notice that human rights abuses against minorities will not be tolerated,” said the senator. “While I support giving this new Syrian government a chance, I will not tolerate or accept a brazen attack against our Kurdish allies, who are the main force in destroying the ISIS caliphate and have been strongly aligned with Israel throughout the years.”
Syria's defense ministry on Tuesday declared the SDF-controlled eastern Aleppo towns of Deir Hafir and nearby Maskanah military zones, ordering the SDF to withdraw from west of the Euphrates River to the east. Kurdish positions in the towns and areas near the strategic Tishreen Dam came under attack including from Turkish drones, the SDF reported.
The SDF said government forces attacked at least twelve times on Wednesday, warning that there are “systematic attempts to drag the region into a war.”
“This simultaneous escalation since dawn today comes amid the continuation of military operations up to the present moment, which heightens expectations of an expansion of the scope of confrontations and their serious repercussions on civilians, infrastructure, and vital facilities. The Damascus factions bear full responsibility for this escalation and the resulting humanitarian and security consequences in the region,” read a statement from the SDF.
The Kurdish-led force also said Turkey has been providing aerial support to the Syrian army and affiliated factions. Ankara has not confirmed its involvement in the conflict but its senior officials have held multiple meetings with their Syrian counterparts in recent days. Turkey is among the regional allies of the interim government in Damascus.
Senator Graham advised Damascus and its regional ally, Turkey, to “choose wisely.”
The Syrian Arab Army and the SDF have engaged in heavy clashes in northern Syria since last week as the Syrian military and Turkish-backed armed groups attacked Kurdish forces. Both Damascus and the SDF accuse each other of violating a March 2025 agreement that failed to integrate the civilian and military institutions of the Kurdish-controlled region in northeast Syria (Rojava) into the government.
The Syrian Arab Army has used the SDF’s alleged troops deployment and reinforcements in Aleppo and alleged ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a pretext for its latest attacks. The SDF called the allegations "misleading."
The PKK was dissolved last year as part of a peace process with Turkey after a four-decade conflict. Ankara claims that the SDF is affiliated with the PKK.