Overview
- A government ceasefire took effect at 3 a.m. Friday with a 9 a.m. deadline for Kurdish fighters to quit Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh and Bani Zeid, which Kurdish councils rejected as a call to surrender.
- After the deadline, Syrian forces launched an operation in Sheikh Maqsoud, reopened strikes and urged civilians to evacuate through corridors published on military maps.
- The army said its sweep of Sheikh Maqsoud was more than 90% complete and later claimed a full takeover with arrests, while the SDF denied government control and reported continued resistance.
- At least 21 people have been killed and more than 140,000 displaced since Tuesday, according to official and agency tallies, with both sides trading blame for civilian harm.
- The SDF accused government-aligned forces of striking a hospital, which Damascus said was a weapons depot, as the U.S. and France pressed to extend a pause and Turkey voiced support for Damascus’ actions.