Syria denies extending ceasefire deadline with SDF

DAMASCUS / ISTANBUL

Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday denied media reports that the ceasefire deadline granted to the SDF had been extended.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted an unnamed source at the ministry as saying: “There is no truth to what is being circulated regarding the extension of the deadline with the SDF.”

The ministry on Tuesday announced a halt to military operations across all army sectors, saying the decision would remain in effect for four days from its issuance, in line with the understandings announced by the Syrian state with the SDF.

On Jan. 18, the Syrian government and the SDF signed an agreement stipulating a ceasefire and the integration of the group’s members and institutions into the Syrian state. However, the SDF continued to carry out provocations and violations that the Syrian government described as a “dangerous escalation.”

The agreement followed a military operation launched by the Syrian Army days earlier, during which it regained large areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated violations by the SDF of agreements signed with the government about 10 months earlier and its failure to implement their provisions.

Last March, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement for the SDF’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country’s territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.