Syrian conflict escalates as US-backed Kurdish-led forces clash with Assad’s troops
The clashes come after rebel advances in Aleppo and Hama, highlighting the volatile situation in the region
Fighters from a US-backed, Kurdish-led coalition battled Syrian government forces in northeast Syria early on Tuesday, both sides said, opening a new front for President Bashar al-Assad who lost Aleppo in a sudden rebel advance last week.
Air strikes also targeted Iran-backed militia groups supporting Syrian government forces in the strategically vital region, a security source in eastern Syria and a Syrian army source said.
The sources both blamed the air strikes on the US-led military coalition, which operates against Islamic State in Syria and has a small detachment of American troops on the ground. Reuters could not independently confirm the foreign force was involved in strikes, and the coalition did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The fighting around a cluster of villages across the Euphrates river from regional capital Deir al-Zor complicates the military picture for Assad, whose forces were focused overnight on staunching a renewed rebel assault near Hama.
Last week’s rebel assault that captured Aleppo – Syria’s largest city before the war – is the largest offensive in years in a conflict whose front lines had been frozen since 2020.
The heaviest fighting on Monday and overnight was along the frontline just north of Hama, another major Syrian city, where several villages have changed hands repeatedly over recent days.
