Syrian army declares closed military zone east of Aleppo

Aleppo: The Syrian army on Tuesday declared an area east of the northern city of Aleppo a “closed military zone,” potentially signalling another escalation between government forces and fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Several days of clashes in the city of Aleppo last week, that displaced tens of thousands of people, came to an end over the weekend with the evacuation of Kurdish fighters from the contested neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud.

Since then, Syrian officials have accused the SDF of building up its forces near the towns of Maskana and Deir Hafer,

about 60 km (37 mi) east of Aleppo city, something the SDF denied.

In a statement, the SDF said government forces have started shelling Deir Hafer, but said there are no reported casualties.

SANA, the state news agency, reported that the army had declared the area a closed military zone because of “continued mobilization” by the SDF “and because it serves as a launching point for Iranian suicide drones that have targeted the city

of Aleppo.”agencies