SDF repels attack in Deir Hafer, accuses Damascus of escalation
Shafaq News – Deir Hafer
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Monday that they had repelled an early morning assault on their positions in al-Imam village, southeast of Aleppo, blaming pro-government factions for a “deliberate escalation” threatening regional stability.
According to a statement, armed groups affiliated with the Syrian Government launched a coordinated attack at 3:00 a.m., targeting four SDF-held positions in the Deir Hafer area. The SDF forces engaged the attackers immediately, and clashes continued for 20 minutes without interruption.
Calling the attack a “repeated aggression,” the group warned that its fighters are “more prepared than ever to exercise their legitimate right to respond with full force.”
The confrontation followed an earlier escalation on Saturday, when SDF units shelled Syrian army-held areas in the Manbij countryside, northeast of Aleppo. According to Syria’s Ministry of Defense, the strike wounded four soldiers and three civilians, prompting the army to launch retaliatory attacks targeting the source of the fire.
The SDF rejected the government’s version of events, insisting its strikes were in self-defense. The group claimed it was responding to overnight shelling by “uncontrolled elements” within Syrian army ranks, who allegedly launched more than ten artillery shells into residential neighborhoods in Deir Hafer.
