"SDF" responds to accusations from the Syrian army and affirms its "right to self-defense"

The contact areas in eastern Aleppo countryside have witnessed a new military escalation, after the "Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)" accused the Syrian army units of "provocation," justifying its artillery and rocket shelling that targeted villages in the Deir Hafer area, resulting in civilian and military casualties.

In a statement from the media center affiliated with the "SDF" on Sunday, it was stated: "(Undisciplined factions) within the ranks of the Syrian government forces continue their provocations and assaults on the contact areas in the Deir Hafer region," adding that these factions "targeted populated areas with more than ten shells." The statement confirmed that "SDF exercised its full right to self-defense and responded to the sources of fire."

The "SDF" also accused the Syrian Ministry of Defense of "distorting the facts and misleading," pointing to what it described as "its intentions to escalate, through its continued digging of trenches and transferring of militants." At the same time, the "SDF" affirmed its commitment to "respecting the ceasefire," calling on the Syrian government to "bear its responsibilities and control the undisciplined factions operating under its control."

For its part, the Syrian official news agency (SANA) reported that the shelling carried out by the "SDF" on the village of Al-Kiyaria in eastern Aleppo countryside resulted in the injury of 7 people, including 4 army personnel and 3 civilians. The media and communication department in the Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that the army units "managed at 21:40 on Saturday evening to repel an infiltration attempt carried out by the (SDF) near the village of Al-Kiyaria."

The department added that the army units "carried out precise strikes targeting the sources of fire that the SDF used in shelling the village of Al-Kiyaria and its surroundings."

It is worth noting that the region has witnessed an escalation of tension recently, with mutual accusations between the two sides, as field sources reported significant military reinforcements provided by the "SDF" to Deir Hafer, while government forces are preoccupied with events in Sweida.