In a troubling turn of events, the Syrian government forces have launched a renewed offensive, seizing control of key towns and strategic locations from Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria. This development has shattered the prospects of a previously reached accord, raising concerns about the future of the fragile political landscape in the war-torn country.
The government’s advance came despite calls from the United States to halt the offensive. State media reported that the army took control of the northern city of Tabqa, the adjacent dam, and the major Freedom Dam, formerly known as the Baath, west of the city of Raqqa. This move appears to be part of the government’s efforts to extend its grip over the Kurdish-run areas, following a decree by President Ahmed al-Sharaa that granted the Kurdish minority official recognition and declared their language as a national one.
The tensions escalated after the implementation of a March 2025 deal, intended to integrate Kurdish forces into the state, stalled. Over the past week, government troops have driven Kurdish forces from two neighbourhoods in Aleppo and taken control of an area east of the city. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused the government of violating the agreement, with clashes erupting south of Tabqa.
The SDF claimed that the government had “violated the recent agreements and betrayed our forces,” while the army urged the SDF to “immediately fulfil its announced commitments and fully withdraw” east of the Euphrates River. Syrian state media reported that the SDF had destroyed two main bridges over the Euphrates River in the Raqqa region.
The latest violence has deepened the divide between the government led by President Sharaa, who has vowed to reunify the country after 14 years of war, and the local Kurdish authorities wary of his Islamist-led administration. Attempts to integrate Kurdish-run military and civilian bodies into Syrian state institutions by the end of 2025 have stalled, leading to the recent clashes.
The situation remains volatile, with the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes and releasing warning flares over the flashpoint towns. The US has had to recalibrate its Syria policy, balancing its years of support for the SDF, which fought against the Islamic State, with its new support for the Syrian government, whose rebel forces ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
In a bid to de-escalate the tensions, US envoy Tom Barrack travelled to Erbil in northern Iraq to meet with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani. However, the outcome of these talks remains unclear, as the conflict continues to unfold with no immediate resolution in sight.