What happened in Deir Hafer on the night of Saturday to Sunday?

Groups affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government continue their provocations and repeated attacks on areas of contact with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), most notably the Deir Hafer area in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo, which was subjected to shelling yesterday.

These groups, described by the SDF as "undisciplined," shelled populated areas with more than ten artillery shells on Saturday evening, August 2, without any justification or direct confrontations. This marked a dangerous military escalation that caused panic among residents.

The SDF responded to the sources of fire with heavy weapons, as part of its right to self-defense, leading to intermittent clashes between the two sides, which quickly ceased.

This shelling is part of a series of repeated attacks carried out by these groups on points of contact with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over the past period. This comes amid worrying military movements, including the transfer of militants to new positions, indicating clear intentions toward escalation despite the ongoing truce and ceasefire agreements. This raises fears of a renewed eruption of security tensions in the region.

In this context, the SDF, in a statement, rejected allegations made by the "Media and Communications Department of the Syrian government's Ministry of Defense" regarding its positions being subjected to an alleged attack by its forces.

The SDF affirmed that "our forces exercised their full right to self-defense and respond to the sources of fire, and that the Ministry of Defense's attempts to distort the facts and mislead public opinion do not serve the security and stability of the country."

It also emphasized the need to respect the truce and called on the relevant agencies within the Syrian government to assume their responsibilities and control the undisciplined factions operating under their control.

Sh-S

ANHA