ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Saturday expressed Washington's concern over recent escalations in Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neiguborhoods, warning that the clashes will pose a "challenge" to integration efforts between Damascus and Kurdish-led forces, while affirming the US' readiness to facilitate constructive dialogue.

The US diplomat said that he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sahibani, and other top officials on Saturday, “on behalf of [US] President Donald J. Trump,” discussing the developments in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods.

Barrack said that the Syrian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the March 10 agreement to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the country's state institutions.

"Recent developments in Aleppo that appear to challenge the terms of this agreement are deeply concerning. We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue," Barrack noted.

The US envoy said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team "stands ready to facilitate constructive engagement between the Syrian government and the SDF to advance an inclusive and responsible integration process."

Earlier on Thursday, Barrack urged both sides to "place the protection of civilian lives and property above all other considerations," expressing Washington's hopes for a Syria that "ensures full inclusion and equal rights for every citizen" regardless of ethnicity or religion.

In addition to Sharaa, the US envoy has also held discussions with other regional leaders aimed at resolving the Aleppo conflict, including President Masoud Barzani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

The SDF agreed to evacuate the two Kurdish neighborhoods in an April 1 agreement, leaving them under the jurisdiction of Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish). Nonetheless, Damascus-affiliated forces have raided and bombarded the two neighborhoods in recent days under the pretext of driving out SDF elements.

The SDF has denied the claims, maintaining that the force had left the city in April. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has corroborated SDF’s claims.

The Damascus operation has led to some 155,000 people being displaced from the city's two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Ghareeb said at a press conference on Saturday.