Syrian army reinforcements in the Aleppo countryside and calling on civilians to stay away from the positions of the Kurdish forces

On Wednesday, the Syrian army called on civilians living in areas controlled by Kurdish forces in the eastern countryside of Aleppo to stay away from the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces, hours after it brought military reinforcements to the vicinity of the area it declared a “closed military zone.”

The army said in a statement, “We note to our people living in the previously designated area of ​​eastern Aleppo… the need to stay away from all SDF sites,” announcing that “a humanitarian corridor will be opened towards the city of Aleppo,” and it will be available until five o’clock on Thursday evening, local time.

In light of the escalation in Aleppo, the commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), Admiral Brad Cooper, whose forces provided great support to Kurdish fighters over the past years and whose country is today a supporter of the new authority in Damascus, urged all parties to “avoid any actions that would escalate the level of tension.”

A Syrian military source in the eastern countryside of Aleppo told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday morning that the army “brought in military reinforcements from the provinces of Latakia (west) and Damascus, on their way to the Deir Hafer area,” the day after it declared a “closed military zone” and demanded that civilians “stay away from the positions of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) organization in the region.”

The official Syrian news agency, SANA, published pictures showing dozens of military vehicles, including tanks and trucks equipped with artillery, which it said were part of “military reinforcements from Latakia Governorate towards the Deir Hafer front.”

An Agence France-Presse correspondent in the vicinity of Deir Hafer reported hearing the sound of shelling from time to time, which the military source said was caused by “artillery targeting of SDF positions in the area.”