Overview
- State media said the army ended its operation in Sheikh Maqsud and secured the city, while Kurdish fighters rejected the claim and reported ongoing street battles.
- A time‑limited truce on Friday from 03:00 to 09:00 local was announced to prevent further escalation, yet Kurdish authorities refused to withdraw or surrender.
- Heavy weapons were used in dense neighborhoods, with activists alleging a hospital was hit; the government denied indiscriminate fire and framed the push as security operations.
- Displacement estimates diverged sharply, with the UN citing about 30,000 people uprooted and officials or state outlets reporting figures above 140,000, as deaths were reported at more than 20.
- EU leaders visited Damascus and pledged reconstruction support, while the US envoy welcomed the truce effort, sought to extend it, and pressed both sides to return to talks under the March 2025 framework.