SDF, Asayish on alert in Syria’s Raqqa
Shafaq News – Damascus (Updated at 00:20)
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Internal Security Forces (Asayish) placed all positions and checkpoints at Raqqa’s entrances on high alert, sources close to the Syrian government told Shafaq News.
No official statement has been issued on the reasons for the mobilization.
The move comes a day after the Syrian Ministry of Defense sent substantial reinforcements to eastern Aleppo and Raqqa, deploying units to Tishreen Dam, Deir Hafer, and Zamla in response to repeated SDF attacks on government forces, according to the German Press Agency (DPA).
A military source told DPA that the SDF’s withdrawal from the March 10 agreement, combined with recent clashes and the outcomes of the Hasakah conference, signaled it was “no longer pursuing a political solution,” adding that a military operation east of the Euphrates “remains the only option” to regain control of the area.
In a statement, the SDF accused Damascus of engaging in “provocative movements”, alleging repeated ceasefire violations. It claimed that government-affiliated groups had been attempting to provoke its forces for days, amassing in certain areas, increasing patrols, and conducting near-constant drone flights — including one that detonated on the outskirts of Sheikh Maqsoud.
Provocative Movements by Damascus Government Forces in the Vicinity of Deir Hafer and the Neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and AshrafiehFor several days, groups affiliated with the Damascus Government have been attempting to provoke our forces, engaging in suspicious movements…
— Syrian Democratic Forces (@SDF_Syria) August 11, 2025
Damascus has also cancelled a planned meeting in Paris between government and SDF delegations, citing the Hasakah conference, held in SDF-controlled territory.
However, a Syrian government source told Al Jazeera that an SDF delegation has since arrived in Damascus for a new round of talks, aimed at building on the agreement signed earlier between Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.
