Major Aleppo offensive looms as Syria moves on Kurdish SDF positions

Syrian government forces are moving east towards Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Aleppo province after taking two Kurdish-held neighbourhoods in the city over the weekend.

A government announcement on Wednesday said that SDF-controlled areas to the west of the Euphrates were now a "closed military zone" and called on "all armed groups in this area" to withdraw to the east of the river.

On Thursday, the Syrian army gave civilians around Deir Hafer a deadline to leave the area before a battle for the town begins, which appears to be part of a plan for a wider offensive to capture SDF territories to the west of the Euphrates River.

AFP reported a trickle of people using the 'evacuation channel', with accusations that the SDF are barring civilians from using the route, as a 2pm ultimatum passed. Above the town, Turkish drones could be spotted, with three strikes reported in the area.

The SDF denied claims that civilians were being restricted from leaving the battle lines, but issued a statement announcing the closure of all crossings with government areas in Tabqa, Raqqa, and Deir az-Zour.

The Syrian and Turkish governments have both said that peaceful attempts to re-integrate SDF-controlled areas under state control had failed, forcing the army to pursue a military response.

"I hope it doesn't come to that point... but when problems are not solved through dialogue, unfortunately, I see from here that the use of force is also an option for the Syrian government," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday.

The SDF reported that "Damascus-affiliated factions" had targeted Deir Hafer with artillery and drones, causing no casualties, and that its fighters had repelled an assault by government forces from the south.

Syrian troops from Damascus and Latakia have headed towards Aleppo in recent days, in anticipation of an assault on SDF territories to the east of the province, with convoys of armoured vehicles seen moving toward the front lines on Thursday.

There has been deep mistrust between the two sides in recent weeks over an agreement reached in March regarding the integration of SDF institutions into the state.

Damascus has complained of no movement on this issue, with the belief that divisions within the SDF are preventing the plan from being realised.

The SDF controls most of northeast Syria, including Arab-majority areas and much of the country's resources, making them highly contested areas throughout the war.

The army's plan appears to be to push SDF forces to the east of the Euphrates River, following fears that the territories could be used by the group against the city of Aleppo, including by cutting off water supplies, after the government took full control of the city over the weekend.

The SDF was formed with US backing during the war against the Islamic State group, but has since been accused of authoritarianism against eastern Syria's Arab majority and dominating Syrian resources.

The Kurdish-dominated force, which includes some Arab tribal units, has also accused the new government of rights abuses during its assault on Aleppo last week, and warned that a new round of fighting would embolden IS.