ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday said Damascus-affiliated forces attacked one of its positions in a Kurdish-majority neighborhood of northern Syria’s Aleppo, coming amid a recent flare-up of tensions, with both sides trading blame for the escalating violence.

Tensions surged in Aleppo’s neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh on Monday, coming as pressure ramps up on the Kurdish-led SDF to agree to be brought under the auspices of the Syrian state.

Early Saturday, the Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) in Aleppo said one of their checkpoints was targeted by two RPG shells fired by forces affiliated with the government, publishing a video purporting to show state forces firing an explosive projectile.

“Factions affiliated with the Damascus government have moved tanks and heavy military vehicles to the vicinity of the Ashrafiyeh neighborhood in the city of Aleppo, in a new escalatory step that came after their attack on one of the Internal Security Forces’ checkpoints using RPG rockets,” the Asayish said.

The SDF early Saturday released footage allegedly showing an explosive projectile fired by Damascus-affiliated forces at one of their positions in Aleppo, with the Kurdish-led forces saying that the imagery "definitively refutes claims that attempted to hold our forces… pic.twitter.com/HbFlYhcPR5

— The New Region (@thenewregion) December 27, 2025

“This attack led to a state of tension in the area, with these factions being held fully responsible for any consequences that may result from this escalation,” the Kurdish-led forces stressed in a statement on X.

While the SDF accused Damascus of firing the opening salvo in the clash, the Syrian interior ministry said SDF snipers targeted one of their checkpoints, allegedly injuring one of their personnel.

“While the Syrian state continues its efforts to maintain calm and protect civilians, it affirms that the SDF militia's continued violation of truces and attacks on security points will be met with necessary measures, and holds it fully responsible for any escalation or consequences that may result from these violations,” the ministry said.

In Aleppo, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh are under the control of local forces affiliated with the Kurdish-led northeast Syria (Rojava) administration, while Syrian government forces control the entrances and exits.

The repeated clashes between the two sides are threatening to further derail the March 10 deal signed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi to integrate the Kurdish forces and institutions into the Syrian apparatus, as political tensions mount over failures to complete the agreement.

The SDF is the de facto army in Rojava and the US-led anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition’s main partner on the ground.

In October, the SDF stated that it had submitted the names of around 70 commanders to be integrated into the defense ministry. Abdi said a month later in November that the Kurdish-led force will play “a great role” in the to-be-formed Syrian army and will “strengthen it.”

An official source in Syria's foreign ministry on Friday bemoaned the lack of "tangible results" regarding the integration agreement, contradicting claims by Abdi that talks have seen “notable progress.” 

Kurdish authorities have accused the Turkish state of being involved in the escalations.