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The Syrian army launched a military operation in Aleppo, targeting positions held by terrorist SDF group, following a series of attacks on civilian areas.
The Syrian military reportedly deployed tanks and armored personnel carriers to the front lines in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods.
During the early hours of the clashes, Syrian army forces thwarted an attempted advance by SDF fighters toward the al-Jalaa neighborhood in northern Aleppo, reportedly killing several militants.
According to Syrian media, some SDF members also surrendered to the Internal Security Directorate in Afrin.
The SDF carried out mortar, artillery, and sniper attacks on several civilian sites, including Er-Razi Hospital, the Meydan neighborhood, the student dormitory at Aleppo University, Kefr Hamra village, and the Aleppo Water Authority.
SDF terrorists were operating from inside civilian homes, using them as bases to fire weapons and launch projectiles, local media reported.
Earlier in the day, Syrian authorities issued warnings urging civilians to evacuate and shared the coordinates of intended targets to support safe passage. Shortly after, SDF militants shelled a humanitarian corridor established for the evacuation of residents from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods. Local sources also reported that three people were injured in a separate mortar attack by the group in the Halidiye neighborhood.
According to information obtained by Türkiye Today from Turkish security sources, any attempt to send reinforcements from the so-called SDF-controlled areas east of the Euphrates to Aleppo’s Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods would be blocked by the Syrian army, with no current need for intervention by the Turkish Armed Forces.
According to military sources cited by Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency, Syrian army units have begun entering the Ashrafieh neighborhood in central Aleppo, which remains under SDF control. The troops advanced from the south, west, and north, seizing most of the area, while Special Task Force units from the Interior Ministry entered the neighborhood to carry out sweep operations.
Clashes between the Syrian army and the terrorist group persist in parts of Ashrafieh and along the Sheikh Maqsoud line.
Aleppo Governor Azzam Gharib announced that a large number of SDF members had either defected or fled from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods. In a statement shared on the social media platform X, he said the situation on the ground may be on the verge of a major shift.
He noted that internal security forces are preparing to enter both neighborhoods to secure the area and facilitate the return of displaced civilians. "A dark chapter in Aleppo is beginning to close," he remarked.
In remarks carried by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the Syrian government said it has taken steps to secure displaced residents and provide shelter and basic services, including to Kurdish and Arab families, as part of what it described as its national and humanitarian duty.
The government also called for the withdrawal of all terrorist elements from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, asserting that their ongoing armed presence poses a threat to civilians and obstructs any viable political solution.
Since December 6, SDF attacks have resulted in nine fatalities and 55 injuries—mostly civilians—according to health officials in Aleppo.
Local authorities report that approximately 142,000 civilians have been displaced from affected areas in Aleppo. The Halep Central Emergency Committee stated that 80 transport vehicles were mobilized and 12 temporary shelters were established, 10 within Aleppo and two in the surrounding regions of Azaz and Afrin—to accommodate the increasing number of evacuees.
As clashes escalated, public services in Aleppo were severely disrupted. Government offices suspended operations, schools and universities halted classes, and flights at Aleppo International Airport were temporarily canceled.
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