Evacuation corridor opened for civilians east of Aleppo as stalled integration talks give way to troop build-ups and mutual drone strike accusations.
DAMASCUS – The Syrian military has ordered civilians to evacuate a contested area east of Aleppo, opening a “humanitarian corridor” on Thursday in a move widely seen as a prelude to a ground offensive.
In a late Wednesday announcement, the army said the corridor from the towns of Deir Hafer and Maskana toward government-held territory would operate between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. local time. The military simultaneously demanded that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdraw east of the Euphrates River, effectively clearing the zone of armed opposition.
The order follows days of heightened tensions and mutual accusations. Damascus claims the SDF has reinforced its positions in the area and launched drone strikes on Aleppo city, including one that hit the provincial government building last Saturday. The SDF denies building up forces and instead reports Turkish drone activity in the region.
Last week, heavy clashes in several Aleppo neighborhoods ended with Kurdish fighters evacuating and government forces taking control, leaving at least 23 dead and displacing tens of thousands of residents.
The latest escalation unfolds amid stalled negotiations between the Syrian government and the SDF over a U.S.-encouraged integration deal. The agreement would see SDF forces merge with the Syrian army and hand control of border crossings and oil fields in northeast Syria to Damascus.
In a televised interview, Interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa struck a conflicting tone—praising Kurdish people and offering guarantees of rights, while accusing the SDF of violating past agreements, blocking civilian evacuations, and refusing U.S. and French mediation efforts on orders from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The interview was initially pulled by a Kurdish-run TV station over concerns it would inflame tensions.
The SDF warned that further escalation would have “dangerous repercussions on civilians and infrastructure,” holding Damascus fully responsible.
The United States, which has long supported the SDF in the fight against ISIS but has also grown closer to Al-Sharaa’s interim government, called for restraint. U.S. Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper urged all parties to “prioritize the protection of civilians” and return to negotiations.
With civilian evacuations now underway and frontline forces on alert, the corridor announcement signals that Syria’s fragile ceasefire east of Aleppo may be nearing its end.
