Aleppo once again woke to the sound of shelling and drones on Thursday, as fighting escalated between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee and prompting urgent international warnings over civilian safety.
Clashes flared across the northern city amid mutual military escalation that included artillery fire, drone strikes, and evacuation ultimatums targeting predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods, while the United Nations called for an immediate de-escalation and the protection of civilians.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, citing a military source, the Syrian army launched what it described as “intense and concentrated shelling” on SDF positions inside the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods. SANA said SDF forces responded by shelling the Al-Midan neighborhood with artillery and mortars.
Separately, Al Arabiya’s correspondent reported the use of drones to target Internal Security Forces and the Ministry of Defense, signaling a widening scope of hostilities beyond localized clashes.
The fighting erupted on Tuesday in what has become the most violent confrontation Aleppo has seen in months, leaving at least 17 people dead so far, including 16 civilians.
There is no independent verification of which side initiated the latest round of fighting. The Syrian government claims the clashes began after army positions and security forces were hit by rocket attacks and drone fire launched from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, both under SDF control.
The SDF, in turn, accuses the Syrian de facto government of triggering the escalation by shelling predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods with artillery and tanks. It places “full responsibility” on Damascus for the outbreak of fighting, the resulting civilian deaths, and the mass displacement that followed.
Beyond the immediate exchanges of fire, the escalation reflects a deeper political rupture following the collapse of an agreement signed in March that sought to integrate all civil and military institutions of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration into the Syrian state framework.
Earlier on Thursday, Syrian authorities issued evacuation orders to residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, granting civilians a narrow window to leave their homes via designated humanitarian corridors ahead of renewed military operations. Officials warned that “focused targeting operations” would begin 30 minutes after the deadline expired.
Aleppo’s provincial administration announced the opening of two humanitarian corridors, while the army circulated maps marking areas slated for evacuation prior to the assault. Local sources said thousands of civilians left the two neighborhoods on Wednesday through those routes.
Syria’s Directorate of Social Affairs said more than 45,000 people have been displaced from Aleppo since Tuesday, most of them heading northwest toward the Afrin area.
As the fighting intensified, daily life in Aleppo ground to a halt. Schools, universities, and public institutions remained closed, flights at Aleppo International Airport stayed suspended, factories in the industrial zone halted operations, a highway leading to Turkey was shut down and traffic was paralyzed along major arteries inside the city.
The United Nations said it was alarmed by developments in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh and confirmed civilian casualties.
In a statement issued Wednesday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said all parties have “a clear obligation, under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.” He called for an immediate calm, maximum restraint, and the resumption of negotiations aimed at fully implementing the March agreement.
As the situation escalated, Turkey announced on Thursday that it was ready to support the Syrian army if Damascus requested assistance, stressing that the Aleppo operation was “carried out entirely by the Syrian army” without direct Turkish involvement.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, whose backbone is made up of Kurdish fighters, control most of Syria’s oil-rich areas in the northeast and receive backing from the United States, according to Reuters.
