The Syrian army carried out new strikes in parts of Aleppo on Thursday after issuing evacuation orders to residents, as clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued for a third consecutive day.
The military published multiple maps showing areas slated for attack, urging civilians to leave immediately. A curfew was imposed in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods beginning Thursday afternoon, according to the army’s operations command.
Fighting that began on Tuesday has forced thousands of civilians to flee and resulted in deaths and injuries. Syrian civil defense officials in Aleppo said nearly 13,500 people had left the affected areas, most of them women, children, and individuals with special needs, with some evacuees requiring medical treatment.
The SDF reported intense clashes with Damascus-aligned forces near Aleppo’s Syriac neighborhood, claiming to have inflicted significant losses. The group accused government-aligned factions of threatening unlawful attacks on civilian areas and warned that public shelling notices could amount to forced displacement and war crimes.
Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani expressed concern over the strikes on Kurdish neighborhoods, saying attacks on civilians and efforts to change the area’s demography constituted ethnic cleansing. He called on all sides to show restraint, protect civilians, and seek dialogue.
The renewed violence underscores growing tensions between Damascus and Kurdish authorities, who have resisted full integration into the central government. A previous agreement envisioned the SDF’s integration by the end of 2025, but both sides have accused one another of delaying its implementation.
Turkey said Thursday it was prepared to assist Syria if requested, after the Syrian army launched what it described as a counter-terrorism operation in Aleppo.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Thursday morning condemned the Syrian regime's attacks on Aleppo's Kurdish minority, calling on the international community to speak out.
"The attacks by Syrian regime forces on the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo are severe and dangerous," he warned. "The international community in general and the West in particular have a moral duty toward the Kurds who fought bravely and successfully against ISIS."
Sa'ar also noted that, "The systematic and murderous oppression of various minorities in Syria contradicts the promises of a 'new Syria.' Silence from the international community will lead to an escalation of violence by the Syrian regime."