Syrian army declares military zones in rural Aleppo as SDF destroys bridges

The Syrian army has declared Maskana and Deir Hafer in the eastern Aleppo countryside closed military zones, accusing Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces of regrouping in the area

A military source told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the SDF destroyed three bridges connecting areas under their control with government-controlled areas east of Aleppo, following days of deadly battles inside the city itself and the departure of the Kurdish-led group’s fighters.

The Syrian Army Operations Authority called on armed groups in Maskana and Deir Hafer to withdraw to the east of the Euphrates, asserting that “Iranian-made” drones were being launched from the two areas against civilians in Aleppo.

It added the SDF was assembling forces in rural Aleppo with militias from the remnants of the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The army stated it would do everything necessary to prevent armed groups massing in this area from using it as a launching pad for military operations, which it described as “criminal”, and asked civilians to stay away from the two areas and their surroundings.

Reporting from the capital, Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna said there was “a very dangerous escalation” over the past 24 hours, as the government redeployed and mobilised troops in rural eastern Aleppo where it is squaring off with the SDF.

“The destruction of the bridges could isolate the SDF forces but also prevent government troops from confronting them.”

The last SDF fighters left Aleppo on Sunday following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to parts of northeastern Syria, where the Kurdish-led forces run a semi-autonomous zone.

Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds in the northeastern city of Qamishli marched Tuesday to protest the recent violence and departure of Kurdish forces from Aleppo.

Some protesters waved banners with the faces of Kurdish fighters who died in the battles. Others brought banners picturing the faces of Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish ​Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, crossed out with red “X”s and labelling them “killers”.

The intense fighting that erupted in Aleppo last week was linked to stalled negotiations over the integration of Kurdish-run institutions and SDF fighters into the Syrian state following an agreement reached between both sides in March last year.

Fears of broader conflict in Syria’s northeast

On Monday, the official news agency SANA broadcast footage of Syrian army troops heading towards the deployment line east of Aleppo.

SANA quoted the Syrian Army Operations Authority as saying: “We have observed the arrival of more armed groups to the deployment points of the SDF organisation in the eastern Aleppo countryside near Maskana and Deir Hafer.”

The SDF initially denied the Syrian Ministry of Defence’s accusations that it had deployed military forces to the Deir Hafer front, saying there were no unusual movements or preparations in the area, adding that the gatherings that took place were limited to civilians from northern and eastern Syria to receive the wounded from Aleppo.

Oghanna said the increasing tensions between the two sides have reached their worst point since the fall of al-Assad in December 2024.

“There are a lot of fears here in Syria that this could be a broader erupt which would erupt all over northeastern Syria,” he added, noting the SDF is the largest non-state actor in the country, with an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 fighters.

The US, which has ties with all parties involved, has urged restraint.

“We also continue to call on all relevant actors to return to the negotiating table in good faith and to pursue a durable diplomatic ‌resolution through dialogue,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command.