ISTANBUL

Syria’s Defense Ministry on Sunday accused the SDF terrorist group of attacking villages in eastern Aleppo countryside, while firmly rejecting claims that the Syrian army was behind the attack.

In a statement carried by Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the ministry said SDF forces struck the villages of Tal Maaz, Alssa, and al-Kayarieh in eastern Aleppo countryside with mortar shells on Saturday.

“During the bombardment of areas outside SDF control, Syrian army units observed rockets being launched from an SDF multiple rocket launcher toward Am Teenah village, which remains under SDF control.”

The ministry said the reasons behind the strike were unclear.

The ministry also categorically denied reports by SDF-linked media accusing the Syrian Army of shelling Am Teenah, blaming the SDF for the attack.

It also accused the SDF of a “pattern of targeting civilians in eastern Aleppo countryside,” citing a Sept. 10 attack on al-Kayarieh village that killed two civilians and injured three others.

The ministry vowed to “continue to carry out its national duty to defend Syrians and preserve their security and stability,” and held the SDF fully responsible for what it described as a “massacre committed against residents of Am Teenah village in an attempt to falsely blame the Syrian army.”

The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.

On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement to integrate the SDF into state institutions, stressing the country’s territorial integrity and rejecting any separatist designs.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in late 2024, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in Syria in January.