ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Heavy clashes erupted overnight between the Syrian Arab Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in flashpoint areas held by the Kurdish-led force on the banks of the Euphrates River, with the Damascus military claiming control over several key positions.

Tensions re-escalated between the two sides in eastern Aleppo on Saturday morning, after the SDF accused the Damascus forces of violating an internationally-sponsored agreement, that would see the Kurdish-led force withdraw from eastern Aleppo, by entering Deir Hafer and Maskanah before its fighters had completed their withdrawal. The Syrian army, meanwhile, accused the SDF of attacking its positions in the area.

The conflict expanded to other nearby areas later in the day, with the SDF continuously accusing the government-affiliated forces of violating the agreement by attacking areas outside the scope of the agreement. The forces reported clashes in several areas on the outskirts of Raqqa, including Dibsi Afnan, Mansoura, and Tabqa.

Simultaneously, the Syrian Arab Army repeatedly reported advancing in those areas, claiming to have seized full control of Tabqa in the early hours of Sunday.

“Syrian Army takes control of the strategic city of Al-Tabqah in the Raqqa countryside, including the Euphrates Dam, the largest dam in Syria,” wrote Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on X.

The SDF rejected the Syrian military’s claims around an hour later, announcing that they were “currently engaged in intense clashes against Damascus militants in the town of Mansoura, as part of efforts to repel the attacks and protect civilians.”

The Kurdish-led force also announced it had arrested three individuals “who attempted to spread chaos and undermine security in the city of Tabqa by opening fire on civilians’ homes.”

Both sides accused each other of committing human rights abuses in the flashpoint areas. In a statement early Sunday, the Syrian government said it condemns the alleged “execution of prisoners and detainees” by the SDF in Tabqa, “prior to their withdrawal from the area.”

“The execution of prisoners and detainees—particularly civilians—constitutes a crime in all its elements under the Geneva Conventions and represents a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” read the statement, calling on the international community to condemn the SDF.

The SDF again rebuffed Damascus’ claims, asserting in a statement that it had “transferred all prisoners from Church Prison in Tabqa to secure locations outside the city as a responsible precautionary measure” three days before the clashes erupted.

“At 1:30 AM today, armed cells affiliated with Damascus released a video claiming control of Church Prison. This calculated propaganda move, preceding the crime, unequivocally reveals their role in planning and executing this criminal act. These same armed men opened fire inside Church Prison, a documented and filmed act of aggression,” read a statement from the SDF.

The clashes also extended to several towns in Deir ez-Zor, with the Syrian army initially accusing the SDF of targeting “densely-populated areas civilian neighborhoods.”

The SDF later stated that Damascus-affiliated factions had attacked their positions across several parts of Deir ez-Zor, “leading to violent clashes between… which are still ongoing.”

The SDF statement, published at around 4:00 am Sunday (local time), is the latest public update provided by the Kurdish-led force as of the writing of this article.