Shafaq News- Damascus
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied on Monday carrying out any military movements or troop buildups near the areas of Maskanah and Deir Hafer, Eastern Aleppo province, describing the claims as misleading statements issued by Syria’s Ministry of Defense for the second time.
In a statement from its media office, the SDF said the ongoing field movements are “carried out by factions affiliated with the Damascus government itself.” It accused the Syrian Defense Ministry of attempting to “manufacture tensions and create pretexts for escalation, holding “the parties behind these claims fully responsible for any potential consequences.”
The SDF warned against “continuing this incitive approach,” and reaffirmed its commitment to de-escalation, “with our legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend the region and protect civilians.”
Warning Against Disinformation Attempts and Dragging the Region Toward EscalationOur forces are closely monitoring the misleading statements issued by the Ministry of Defense of the Damascus government regarding the field situation in the vicinity of Maskanah and Deir Hafir. We…
— Syrian Democratic Forces (@SDF_Syria) January 12, 2026
Earlier, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA published footage it said showed Syrian army reinforcements heading toward deployment lines east of Aleppo, after monitoring the arrival of additional armed groups belonging to the “terrorist PKK organization” and remnants of the former regime, alongside the SDF in Maskanah and Deir Hafer.
مشاهد لتعزيزات الجيش العربي السوري المتجهة نحو خط الانتشار شرق حلب، بعد رصد وصول المزيد من المجاميع المسلحة لتنظيم PKK الإرهابي، وفلول النظام البائد إلى جانب تنظيم قسد بريف حلب الشرقي قرب مسكنة ودير حافر. pic.twitter.com/O0ILIHFXH6
— الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء - سانا (@Sana__gov) January 12, 2026
The Syrian government and the SDF reached a ceasefire last week under US mediation, ending days of intense fighting in Aleppo’s Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.
According to the latest data by Aleppo’s Health Directorate, the fighting, which erupted last Tuesday, killed at least 24 and injured around 129 others, while SDF-affiliated media reported that 10 civilians were killed inside the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, including four women and two children in addition. The clashes also forced more than 165,000 people to flee their homes.
Sheikh Maqsoud and the adjacent Ashrafieh district, which are now under Syrian Authorities' control, estimated to be about 80% Kurdish, have remained under Kurdish control for years and house tens of thousands of civilians.