ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday said that one of their positions south of Raqqa province's Tabqa was targeted by a Turkish "Akinci" drone, which it said "confirms direct Turkish intervention in Syria," as clashes persist in Aleppo between Kurdish-led forces and Damascus-affiliated factions.

"In a serious escalation that confirms direct Turkish intervention in Syria and foreshadows the expansion of the ongoing conflict in the region, a Turkish ‘Akinci’ drone targeted a military point of our forces in the Haq al-Thawra area south of the city of Tabqa at 6 PM today, resulting in material damage," the Kurdish-led force said in a statement.

The development follows days of intense fighting in Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh between Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) and factions affiliated with Damascus. The violence has reportedly also seen Turkish-backed forces featuring on the side of Damascus-linked militias.

Aleppo's Asayish claimed earlier on Saturday that Sheikh Maqsoud's Khalid Fajr hospital, a vital healthcare center in the neighborhood, had come under heavy bombardment by Turkish Bayraktar drones, while SDF-affiliated media published pictures of cars in Aleppo purportedly featuring Turkish license plates, as the clashes continued.

SDF, however, said that the drone is the first of its kind since the ceasefire agreement following the Battle of Tishreen Dam in mid-2025, claiming that the attack constitutes "a clear violation of existing understandings and reveals the Turkish side's insistence on playing a direct military role in Syria."

Turkey views the People's Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF's leadership, as inextricably linked to its domestic foe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and therefore sees the SDF as the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

Around 155,000 people were displaced from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh due to the clashes, according to Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib, who announced the figure in a presser earlier on Saturday.

The Khalid Fajr hospital has borne the brunt of the conflict, having been subjected to repeated attacks using "machine gun and drones," according to the UK-based Syrian Obervatory for Human Rights (SOHR), who warned of a "potential humanitarian catastrophe," as citizens trapped in the hospital plead for help.

Depite Damascus announcing that the operation to enter the two neighborhoods had halted, clashes reportedly persisted in the area.