Syria’s army warns SDF fighters of imminent attacks in Aleppo

SDF fighters are refusing to leave the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud areas in Aleppo and intend to “resist” the Syrian army encircling them.
Syrian army has given SDF fighters a new deadline to lay down the arms and has also warned of imminent attacks targeting them in Sheikh Maqsoud area.
Turkiye clear that Syria’s territorial integrity ‘must be preserved’
Omer Ozkizilcik, nonresident senior fellow for the Syria Project in the Atlantic Council, says that Turkiye’s offer of support to Damascus in its fight with SDF forces reflected its position that Syria’s territorial integrity must be maintained.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Ankara, he said Turkiye had been intending to launch an operation against SDF forces in Syria months ago, but had refrained at the request of the Syrian government.

“The Turkish government is quite clear in its position that Syria’s territorial integrity has to be preserved and Turkiye respects Syrian sovereignty and has not launched a military operation.”

He said that Turkiye’s offer of support to Damascus reflected that they shared a common interest in preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, which would otherwise lead to instability.

“I would not say that Turkiye is delegating its own goals to the Syrian government, I would rather argue that the common goals between Turkiye and Syria are quite big,” he said.
Civil defence teams clear barricades from roads in Ashrafieh
Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management says civil defence teams have begun clearing barricades from roads in Aleppo’s Ashrafieh neighbourhood.

In a post on X, the ministry said the move would allow humanitarian relief efforts to reach people in the neighbourhood, and allow residents to be able to access vital services such as medical facilities.
EU grants Syria $722m for recovery, humanitarian aid, calls for dialogue in Aleppo
The European Union will grant Syria ‍around 620 ‍million euros ($722m) this year and next for post-war recovery, bilateral support and humanitarian aid, European Commission President ⁠Ursula von der Leyen says.

“After ​years of devastation under the Assad ‍regime, Syria’s recovery and reconstruction needs are immense, and I just could see [it] by my own ‍eyes,” she ⁠said during a visit to the Syrian capital Damascus.

Von der Leyen said the EU wants to start talks on reviving a cooperation accord with Syria and that it will launch ​a new political partnership ‌with the country, including high-level talks in the first half of 2026.

Von der Leyen said the recent escalating violence in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo ‌between government forces and Kurdish fighters this week was “worrisome”, and that continued dialogue between all ‍parties was “urgently needed”.