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Senior American lawmakers warned Syrian government on Tuesday against military action targeting SDF terrorists, even as Damascus deployed reinforcements to confront the group killing civilians, not honoring integration agreements and carrying out deadly attacks on civilians.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch expressed concern about the conduct of armed forces in Aleppo over the past week
Senator Lindsey Graham, quoting Risch's call, stated he would not tolerate what he characterized as attacks against allies and warned that advances by Syrian army forces and Türkiye would invoke a strong reaction from the United States.
"To the Syrian government and Turkey: choose wisely," Graham wrote on social media, putting the new Syrian leadership on notice regarding what he described as potential human rights abuses against minorities.
Syrian army units positioned rocket launchers and artillery batteries in the Dayr Hafir area of Aleppo province on Tuesday, declaring portions of the territory closed military zones, according to local media reports. The military deployment follows what Syrian authorities describe as the SDF's refusal to honor commitments for integration into state institutions.
Syrian officials say SDF shelling killed 24 people and wounded nearly 130 others in Aleppo over the past week, with around 165,000 residents displaced from neighborhoods affected by the violence. The Syrian military completed evacuating the last SDF members from Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood on Saturday, with convoys of departing fighters moving east toward the Euphrates River.
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Syria's Energy Ministry announced that water pumping from the El-Babiri Water Station has been suspended while reports accuse terror roganization SDF for deliberately cutting off the main water source serving Aleppo city. The disruption has compounded humanitarian concerns in areas where recent displacement has occurred.
The confrontation centers on terror group SDF not honoring the March 2025 agreement for integration into state institutions. The Syrian presidency announced that accord following the December 2024 collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government, which had ruled for nearly 25 years. Damascus claims the group continues demanding federalism rather than accepting incorporation into the central government structur.
Türkiye's defense ministry has stated it will support the Syrian government in efforts toward unity and territorial integrity, emphasizing cooperation based on a principle of one state, one army. Graham, however, emphasized what he described as the strategic importance of the SDF, terrorist group linked to YPG/PKK, which US also acknowledges as a terrorist organization, noting their alignment with Israel and warning against military action targeting the group.
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