Syrian army renews Aleppo strikes as Kurdish fighters refuse to budge

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffJanuary 10, 2026 at 12:21 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

On January 9, 2026, the Syrian army renewed strikes on the Kurdish-held Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo after Kurdish fighters refused to withdraw following a failed ceasefire. The Syrian army initiated a military operation after a deadline for Kurdish fighters to evacuate the area expired. The ceasefire was initially declared after three days of clashes that stemmed from a failed deal to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the state apparatus. Kurdish councils rejected the demand to withdraw and pledged to defend the areas they have controlled since 2011. The Syrian army warned residents to evacuate through a humanitarian corridor before resuming strikes, while the SDF accused government-affiliated groups of attacking a hospital, which the government claimed was a weapons depot.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

SANA 35% Khaled Fajr Hospital 40% Syria’s Ministry of Defence 50% Bashar al-Assad 50% Damascus ×260% Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ×275% Syrian Arab Army ×280% Kurdish fighters ×480% Sheikh Maqsoud ×585% Aleppo ×790% Syria ×695%

Keywords

aleppo 100% syrian army 90% kurdish fighters 90% sheikh maqsoud 80% strikes 70% clashes 70% military operation 70% ceasefire 70% syrian democratic forces 60% syria war 50%