Syrian government and SDF trade blame as violence resumes in Aleppo

A child cries near his brother, who was injured during clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces, as the boy is treated at a hospital in Aleppo, Syria, Jan 6, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Fighting in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday left at least four people dead and several others wounded, state media said, with the government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces trading blame for the violence.

The clashes are the latest to break out in Aleppo as officials scramble to advance a deal to address Syria's deepest remaining fracture by merging the US-backed SDF with the central government.

The SDF is reluctant to give up autonomy it won during 14 years of war, which left it with control of Islamic State prisons and oil resources in a country that remains fragile just over a year after the ouster of ex-President Bashar al-Assad.

Failure to integrate the SDF into Syria's army risks further violence and could potentially draw in Turkey, which has threatened an incursion against Kurdish fighters it views as terrorists.

Three of those killed on Tuesday were civilians, while the fourth was an army soldier, state news agency SANA said.

Syria's defence ministry said in a statement that the SDF had continued its "escalation" by targeting army positions and residential areas in Aleppo.

The SDF denied responsibility, saying the casualties were caused by "indiscriminate" artillery and missile shelling by factions aligned with the Damascus government.

Nouri Sheikho, a local official, told Reuters that clashes had resumed in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods after a brief pause and that communication with the Damascus government was underway to bring a halt to the violence.

He said residents in the area were fearful there could be widespread killings, and accused the government of using rockets, artillery shells, and tanks.

Aleppo governor Azzam al-Gharib said schools, universities, and government departments would have all activities suspended on Wednesday due to the situation, Syrian state-owned Ekhbariya TV reported on Tuesday.

Syria's General Authority of Civil Aviation said it was suspending flights to and from Aleppo's airport for 24 hours from Tuesday. It said it would reroute scheduled flights to the airport in the Syrian capital until necessary evaluations had been completed.

The agreement to integrate Kurdish forces was meant to be implemented by the end of 2025 but the two sides have made little progress, each accusing the other of stalling or acting in bad faith.

Syrian government forces and the SDF had agreed to de-escalate after clashes in late December.