Syrian government troops advanced into Kurdish-held territory in the north on Saturday, seizing key towns and sparking fresh clashes that threatened to unravel a once-promising political agreement meant to reunify a fractured nation.
The escalation follows intense fighting earlier this month between the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, or S.D.F., a Kurdish-led militia that is backed by the United States, and it raises the prospect of a government push toward Raqqa, the largest city administered by Kurdish authorities.
Raqqa became globally emblematic of the Syrian conflict after the Islamic State seized it in 2014, and declared it the capital of its self-proclaimed caliphate. The city was devastated during the U.S.-backed campaign to defeat the jihadist group and has since remained under S.D.F. control, with a small American military presence in the region.
After the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad last year, Kurdish-led forces have been hesitant to submit to the new government’s authority. For nearly a year, the two sides have engaged in negotiations over the integration of Kurdish military and civilian institutions into the new Syrian state, but those talks have stalled in recent months.
The renewed fighting has sharpened concerns in Washington about the prospect of a broader confrontation between Kurdish-led forces and Damascus, which could destabilize U.S.-led efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State and endanger American troops still stationed in Syria.
The military advance on Saturday came hours after Kurdish fighters withdrew from several positions east of the major city of Aleppo.
The S.D.F. announced the withdrawal after President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria issued a decree on Friday affirming the rights of Kurdish Syrians. The announcement was widely seen as an attempt to ease tensions after government forces struck S.D.F. positions in the area.
The situation quickly deteriorated on Saturday as each side accused the other of violating the terms of the agreement.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. military forces in the Middle East, urged Syrian government forces, in a statement on Saturday, to “cease any offensive actions” in areas near Aleppo. The U.S. special envoy to Syria, Thomas J. Barrack Jr., also met in northern Iraq on Saturday with Mazloum Abdi, the S.D.F.’s commander, and Masoud Barzani, the veteran Iraqi Kurdish leader, as Washington worked to avoid a broader confrontation.
Exchanges of fire have been reported in several of towns and villages as government forces said they were advancing through oil-rich areas toward the strategic town of Tabqa, a move that would place government troops roughly 30 miles from Raqqa.
At least 24 civilians have been killed in five days of fighting and thousands have been forced to flee their homes.
The renewed clashes capped weeks of violence that have amounted to some of the most intense fighting since the end of the civil war in December 2024, when Mr. al-Sharaa’s coalition of rebel groups ousted the Assad regime.
Euan Ward is a Times reporter covering Lebanon and Syria. He is based in Beirut.
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