Syria restores water supply to Aleppo after SDF disruption

ALEPPO, Syria / ISTANBUL

Syrian authorities said Sunday that water supply to the city of Aleppo has been restored after hours-long disruption caused by the terrorist organization YPG/SDF.

Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said pumping operations from the Babiri water station in the eastern Aleppo countryside have resumed, assuring residents that steps were taken to ensure continuity of service.

“Following several hours of halted water pumping from the Babiri station, we reassure our people in Aleppo and its countryside that water supply has been fully restored,” Bashir said in a statement shared on US social media company X.

He added that his ministry remains committed to preventing further interruptions, noting that local institutions are continuing efforts to bring back essential services across all neighborhoods and towns in Aleppo.

Late Saturday, Syria’s Energy Ministry announced that pumping from the Babiri station had been suspended, directly attributing the disruption to actions by the terrorist organization YPG/SDF.

The development comes amid heightened tensions in Aleppo, where the terrorist organization YPG/SDF launched attacks on the Ashrafieh, Sheikh Maqsoud and Bani Zaid neighborhoods, targeting residential districts, civilian facilities and Syrian Army positions.

Since Tuesday, the attacks have killed 24 people, wounded 129 others, and displaced around 165,000 residents from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud districts, according to official figures.

The Syrian Army said Saturday that it had halted all military operations in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo as of 3 pm local time (1200GMT).

In March 2025, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement for the SDF’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.

In April 2025, Syrian authorities signed an agreement with the SDF concerning the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, stipulating that both districts would be considered administrative parts of the city of Aleppo while respecting their local particularities.

The agreement also included provisions to ban armed manifestations, restrict weapons to internal security forces, and require the withdrawal of SDF military forces to areas east of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria.

But authorities said that in the months since the SDF has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreements.

The Syrian government has intensified efforts to maintain security across the country since the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2024, after 24 years in power.