ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Syria's Deputy Minister of Defense for the Eastern Region Sipan Hemo said Saturday that anyone insulting the Syrian flag or attacking Kurds and Kurdish symbolism will be held accountable, amid heightened tensions in Syria on Newroz, the Kurdish New Year.

Footage began making the rounds on the internet on Saturday, showing a group of youths taking down the Syrian flag in Kobane, followed by videos of Kurds being beaten, and and their flags taken away and burned later in the day.

Hemo, a Kurdish commander who was recently appointed as Syria's deputy minister for eastern affairs, warned that anyone “who insults the Syrian flag or attacks the Kurds and their symbols will be held accountable.”

“We confirm that those who brought down the Syrian flag in Kobane and those who insult the Kurdish people and their symbols share the same mentality that aims to create division and discord,” he said in a statement posted on X.

Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) commander Mahmoud Khalil Ali, also known by his nom de guerre Siyamend Efrin, said they are monitoring the developments regarding both incidents.

Earlier in January, the Syrian Arab Army and its affiliated factions launched a violent military campaign on Rojava in a bid to secure Ahmed al-Sharaa’s vision of a centralized Syria.

Hostilities stopped after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it had reached a “comprehensive agreement” with Damascus to enable a phased integration process of the Kurdish-led forces into the Syrian state.