Shafaq News– Damascus

Syrian government forces advanced in northeastern Syria toward territory held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), local media reported on Sunday.

According to Syrian outlets, government troops entered the town of Tabqa, a strategic location near the Euphrates River, while fighters from Arab tribes aligned with Damascus pushed into areas of eastern Deir Ez-Zor.

The SDF said in a statement that it continues to hold Raqqa but acknowledged losing ground in surrounding rural districts after the Damascus-aligned factions attacked its positions, triggering heavy clashes that were still underway. In response, the group imposed curfews in Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor provinces and destroyed the old Raqqa bridge linking the west and east banks of the Euphrates to slow further advances.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the political wing of the SDF, later called for general mobilization, urging residents, including young men and women, to prepare for “coordinated assaults” on multiple fronts. The administration said it had previously withdrawn from some locations as a goodwill measure but accused Damascus-linked forces of pursuing a military solution.

The fighting follows months of stalled negotiations over the future of SDF-held territory. In March 2025, the two sides announced an agreement to integrate SDF civilian and military institutions into state structures and return central authority over border crossings, an airport, and major oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria.

Meetings held in early January 2026 failed to resolve disputes over military integration and governance, including the structure of any merger with the Syrian army and whether a decentralized security and administrative model would be maintained.

Syrian and Turkish officials have accused the SDF of lacking the political will to move forward, a claim the Kurdish leadership has repeatedly rejected.

Read more: March 10 Syria–SDF Pact tested as unwritten timeline nears end-2025