Aleppo Syrian Army SDF Clashes 2026: Military Zones Declared as Peace Fails

They shook hands in March, but now the guns are firing again. The Syrian Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are locked in a violent standoff in Aleppo. The failure to implement a year-old integration deal has pushed the city back to the brink of a major war on January 7, 2026.

Aleppo Syrian Army SDF Clashes: A City Under Siege

The Syrian Army officially declared Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh—two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo—as "closed military zones." The ultimatum, which took effect at 3:00 PM today, marks all SDF positions as legitimate targets. According to Al Jazeera, at least 9 people were killed in fighting on Tuesday alone.

Humanitarian conditions are deteriorating rapidly. The Civil Defence reported that 850 civilians have already been evacuated through designated corridors. However, reports of prisoners escaping from al-Shafiq prison during the chaos have added a new layer of security concern to an already volatile situation.

Why the Peace Deal Collapsed

The root of the conflict lies in the failed March 2025 agreement. Under the new government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the SDF was supposed to merge its civil and military institutions into the Syrian state. One year later, these promises remain on paper, as both sides blame each other for the stall in negotiations.

External pressures aren't helping. Israel has conducted over 600 air and artillery strikes across Syria in the past year, averaging two per day. Experts, including Marie Forestier from the Atlantic Council, suggest that these persistent raids are actively destabilizing the central government's efforts to consolidate power.