Clashes erupt in Deir Hafer between SDF, Syrian army factions
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SDF repel Syrian army-affiliated attack on its posts in Deir Hafer, Aleppo, warning of forceful response as tensions escalate on contact lines.
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A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands in guard as hundreds attend a gathering to listen a Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, delegation in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Thursday, February 27, 2025. (AP)
Tensions have escalated in eastern Aleppo as the US-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) announced on Monday that it repelled an attack launched by government-affiliated factions on their positions in the village of Imam, located in the Deir Hafer area.
According to a statement released by the SDF, the attacking forces targeted four of its sites in the region. The group stated, “Our forces today are more prepared than ever to exercise their legitimate right to respond with full force.”
Blaming Damascus directly, SDF alleged that the government was responsible for the assault and claimed its fighters "responded appropriately in defense of their positions and personnel."
This comes after SDF issued a statement on Sunday rejecting comments by the Media and Communications Department of the Syrian Ministry of Defense, which had accused the group of launching attacks on government forces.
In response, SDF claimed the reality was “the exact opposite,” and accused “undisciplined factions operating within the government’s ranks” of ongoing provocations and repeated assaults along contact lines in Deir Hafer, southeast of Aleppo.
SDF assert right to retaliate
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) responded to statements made by the Media and Communications Department of Syria's Ministry of Defense, claiming its forces came under attack by the SDF, expressing their rejection of these claims.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the SDF stated that the unfolding events were contrary to the ministry's claims, accusing what it called "uncontrolled factions operating within government forces [of] continuing their provocations and repeated attacks on the contact areas in Deir Hafer," south of the eastern Aleppo countryside.
The SDF clarified that the incident occurred on Saturday evening when these factions bombarded populated areas with artillery, firing more than 10 shells without justification, while the SDF "exercised its full right to self-defense by responding to the sources of the attacks." It accused the Syrian Defense Ministry of "trying to distort the facts and mislead public opinion," stressing that such actions undermine security and stability.
The US-backed Kurdish group added that its forces exercised maximum restraint in the face of repeated attacks and provocations by these factions, which have continued digging trenches and deploying armed personnel in recent periods, confirming their intent to escalate tensions.
