Fighting between forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Kurdish fighters sharply escalated in the country’s northeast on Sunday, with the Syrian army capturing key oil and gas fields from the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces.
The area has been under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for several years—a U.S.-backed military alliance made up largely of Kurdish fighters who established a self-governing region there.
The latest round of fighting began in early January, following the collapse of talks between the Kurdish Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) and al-Sharaa, who seeks to reunify all of Syria under his rule.
On Sunday morning, al-Sharaa’s forces reportedly seized major oil and gas fields in Deir ez-Zor province in the northeast. Three security sources told Reuters that the Syrian army had taken control of the Omar oil field—the largest in the country—as well as the Conoco gas field. Both strategic sites had previously been under Kurdish control, and their capture is seen as a further sign of gains by al-Sharaa’s forces in the region.
Syrian army forces under al-Sharaa seize a town in Deir ez-Zor and capture Kurdish forces
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Kurdish SDF fighters allegedly captured by Syrian government forces under al-Sharaa in the Deir ez-Zor region
Clashes have also been reported in neighboring Raqqa province. On Sunday morning, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, which operates under Damascus, claimed that Kurdish forces had blown up two bridges over the Euphrates River overnight, likely in an effort to prevent Syrian army troops from advancing northward toward the provincial capital, the city of Raqqa.
Raqqa served as the capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) during the previous decade, after the terror group seized vast swaths of territory across Syria and Iraq. The city was liberated in 2017, largely through ground operations by Kurdish fighters supported by airstrikes from the U.S.-led international coalition formed to defeat ISIS.
Syrian troops cross the Euphrates River amid ongoing clashes with Kurdish SDF forces
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Syrian troops cross the Euphrates River amid ongoing clashes with Kurdish SDF forces
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Syrian government forces fire rockets near a bridge allegedly blown up by Kurdish fighters
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
By midday, just hours after reports of the bridge demolitions, clashes were reported inside the city of Raqqa itself, with forces loyal to al-Sharaa reportedly seizing control of one of its neighborhoods. Syria TV claimed that Kurdish-led SDF units had withdrawn from parts of the city. Earlier footage appeared to show al-Sharaa’s troops crossing the Euphrates River to its northeastern bank—where Raqqa is located—as part of the offensive against Kurdish forces.
Sipan Hamo, a senior Kurdish commander, said a meeting held the previous day between U.S. envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack and Kurdish representatives had failed to produce a “roadmap” for a ceasefire. He urged the United States to take a firmer stance than it has so far and called for security guarantees: “Our greatest hope is that there will be a tangible outcome, especially from the coalition and the United States, meaning that they will intervene more forcefully in the existing problems than what they are currently doing.”
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Syrian army troops take control of the town of al-Shafa in the Deir ez-Zor countryside following clashes with Kurdish SDF forces
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Syrian army troops take control of the town of al-Shafa in the Deir ez-Zor countryside following clashes with Kurdish SDF forces
Hamo denied receiving any support from Iran or Russia but hinted that he hoped Israel would step in on the Kurds’ behalf. “Of course, we consider Israel a powerful state in the region with its own agenda,” he told Reuters. “We hope that the same stance taken by other countries in the region towards certain minorities in Syria will be extended to the Kurds as well.”
Asked whether he was referring to Israel’s position toward the Druze community last summer, when Israeli airstrikes targeted Syrian troops advancing toward Druze strongholds and near the presidential palace in Damascus, he replied, “Of course.”
Strategic town falls: 'Army crosses the river'
By midday, the Syrian army captured the strategic town of Tabqa in Raqqa province, located just south of the Euphrates River and near the city of Raqqa itself. Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa said government forces had also taken control of the Tabqa Dam—the largest in Syria—located roughly 40 kilometers upriver from Raqqa.
Tabqa holds strategic importance due to its position upstream on the Euphrates, which flows southeast, and it also hosts a military airbase. The town’s population is predominantly Arab, and residents were seen celebrating the arrival of al-Sharaa’s forces.
After Kurdish forces withdrew, residents in Tabqa toppled a statue said to be linked to the PKK
In scenes likely to heighten fears among Syria’s Kurdish minority, al-Sharaa’s fighters were seen destroying Kurdish symbols following the takeover of Tabqa, including toppling a statue of a female Kurdish fighter.
The Syrian government accused Kurdish forces of executing prisoners in the town’s prison before retreating. “The execution of prisoners and detainees, especially civilians, is a crime and a violation of international humanitarian law. This criminal behavior reflects the true nature of the SDF,” the Damascus regime claimed. It also alleged that 64 SDF fighters surrendered after being encircled by the Syrian army in a neighborhood in the town of Mansoura in the Raqqa countryside, and that the SDF had blown up main water pipelines in the area.
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Kurdish fighters in Tabqa before it was captured by Syrian government forces in Raqqa province, Jan. 17
(Photo: Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
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Kurdish fighters in Tabqa before it was captured by Syrian government forces in Raqqa province, Jan. 17
(Photo: Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
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Kurdish fighters in Tabqa before it was captured by Syrian government forces in Raqqa province, Jan. 17
(Photo: Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
The SDF, for its part, denied the government’s version of events and accused Damascus of committing a massacre inside the Tabqa prison, releasing what it said was video evidence showing regime fighters inside the facility.
The current fighting between government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF erupted after negotiations broke down between the two sides. Al-Sharaa came to power in December 2024 after the fall of the Assad regime, which collapsed following 14 years of civil war. He has vowed to reunify all of Syria under his rule, including the large swaths of northeastern territory that have been under Kurdish control.
Kurdish leaders, however, are deeply reluctant to relinquish the autonomous administration they established, wary not only because of decades of discrimination under the previous regime, but also due to deep mistrust of al-Sharaa’s intentions.
A former al-Qaida member who now presents a moderate image and claims to have abandoned jihadist ideology, al-Sharaa’s forces have nonetheless been accused of committing massacres against Syria’s Alawite and Druze minorities since he came to power. These reports have heightened Kurdish fears over the future of their self-rule. An estimated two million Kurds live in Syria.
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Clashes between Kurdish forces and regime troops
(Photo: Abdulmonam Eassa/Getty Images)
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Residents in the city of Maskanah, east of Aleppo, celebrate the arrival of government forces following the Kurdish SDF retreat, Jan. 17
(Photo: Abdulmonam Eassa/Getty Images)
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Residents celebrate the takeover of Tabqa by Syrian army forces
(Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri)
Over the past year, the two sides engaged in negotiations, and in March of last year reached what was then seen as a dramatic agreement. It called for integrating SDF fighters into the Syrian army and merging Kurdish civil institutions into the state’s bureaucracy. But no real progress has been made toward implementing the deal. Now, al-Sharaa appears to be asserting control by force.
At the same time, he has sought to offer reassurances, signing a presidential decree recognizing the Kurds as an integral part of Syria and declaring Kurdish an official language. The Kurdish DAANES called the move a “first step,” but said it fell short of fulfilling “the aspirations and hopes of the Kurdish people,” and demanded constitutional guarantees for their rights.
Failed talks and past massacres weigh on Kurds
After the breakdown of talks between Damascus and the SDF, fighting erupted in the northwestern city of Aleppo, where Kurdish forces were forced to withdraw from neighborhoods they previously held.
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Syrian army forces after taking control of Tabqa, Raqqa province
(Photo: Bakr ALkasem / AFP)
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Syrian army forces after taking control of Tabqa, Raqqa province
(Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri)
As large Syrian army forces amassed in the surrounding areas, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced over the weekend what he called a “goodwill gesture,” saying that Kurdish forces had pulled back from the Aleppo countryside on Saturday, including the city of Deir Hafer, located midway between Aleppo and Raqqa. The Kurds now accuse the regime of violating past understandings by continuing its advance, including the capture of Tabqa.
The al-Sharaa regime claims that SDF forces are being supported in the fighting by members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Kurdish militant group in Turkey that last year agreed to disarm under a historic peace agreement with the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry alleged that the PKK was behind a drone attack in the Raqqa area that killed two Syrian soldiers.
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Syrian army soldiers tear up a portrait of jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in Tabqa, Raqqa province
(Photo: Bakr ALkasem / AFP)
Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed PKK leader who is now spearheading the peace process with Turkey, said the fighting in northeastern Syria was an attempt to “sabotage the peace process” he launched. His message was delivered Sunday by representatives of the pro-Kurdish DEM party in Turkey, who met with him at the prison where he is held near Istanbul. They said Öcalan remains committed to the peace agreement with Turkey and urged “the necessary steps be taken to move forward.”
Macron condemns 'war on the Kurds,' US echoes calls for ceasefire
The fighting has begun to strain ties between the al-Sharaa regime and Western governments that were quick to recognize his rule and lift international sanctions on Syria, hoping the country would turn a page after over a decade of civil war. But many of those same governments also want to protect the Kurdish-led forces that were key allies in the fight against ISIS.
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Syrian regime troops fire rockets at Kurdish SDF positions in Tabqa, Raqqa province, Jan. 17
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
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Syrian regime troops fire rockets at Kurdish SDF positions in Tabqa, Raqqa province, Jan. 17
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
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Syrian regime tanks in Tabqa, Raqqa province, Jan. 17
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
The U.S. military, under President Donald Trump, who was among the first to warmly embrace al-Sharaa and was even filmed spraying him with cologne during a jovial White House meeting in November, issued a statement Saturday calling on Syrian government forces “to cease any offensive actions” in the corridor between Aleppo and Tabqa. Nonetheless, Tabqa was reportedly captured the following morning.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Brad Cooper said in the statement that “aggressively pursuing ISIS and relentlessly applying military pressure requires teamwork among Syrian partners in coordination with U.S. and coalition forces. A Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors is essential to peace and stability across the region.”
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Syrian army forces after taking control of Tabqa, Raqqa province
(Photo: Bakr ALkasem / AFP)
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Syrian army forces after taking control of Tabqa, Raqqa province
(Photo: Bakr ALkasem / AFP)
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Syrian government forces in Tabqa, Raqqa province, Jan. 17.
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
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Syrian government forces in Tabqa, Raqqa province, Jan. 17.
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Meanwhile, in a separate diplomatic effort to de-escalate the conflict, U.S. envoy Barrack—who also serves as ambassador to Turkey—met in Erbil with Masoud Barzani, the leader of Iraq’s Kurds. But there was no sign of a breakthrough.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the Syrian government’s offensive, using even sharper language and calling for its immediate end. “A united and stable Syria will only be achieved through the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into its institutions, and not through war against those who fought alongside us against ISIS,” he said.
“The Syrian authorities' assault must stop immediately. France and Europe will not support this continued approach. A comprehensive agreement is possible. The presidential decree on Kurdish rights adopted yesterday is a step in the right direction. We will continue our efforts to support this negotiation process for the sake of Syria’s unity and integrity.”
Macron said later Sunday that he had spoken directly with al-Sharaa to express his concern over the escalating violence.
Amid growing international calls for a ceasefire, Syrian media reported at midday that SDF commander Abdi had arrived in Damascus for talks with al-Sharaa, accompanied by Barack. “We continue our efforts to reach calm and establish a ceasefire with international support, despite the ongoing attacks,” Abdi said.
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Syrian regime soldier inspects the bodies of Kurdish fighters in Tabqa, Raqqa province
(Photo: AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
The SDF issued a statement Sunday claiming it had inflicted “heavy losses” on Syrian government troops, saying dozens of soldiers loyal to al-Sharaa had been “hit.” The group did not specify its own casualties, but images from Tabqa showed several bodies of Kurdish fighters.
The escalation, not far from Syria’s border with Iraq, has also raised concern in Baghdad. An Iraqi security source told Al Arabiya that forces along the border have been placed on high alert. “We’re concerned about ISIS prisons near the border,” the source said, referring to Kurdish-run detention facilities in northeastern Syria that house thousands of ISIS terrorists.