Damascus closed western bank of Euphrates to civilians

The Syrian army is occupying Raqqa province and advancing on the city of Al-Tabqah. Damascus has appealed to the local population not to aid the Kurdish resistance for their own safety.

The Syrian army announced that, as of today, a special closed military zone has been established on the western bank of the Euphrates. Therefore, civilians in this area are advised not to participate in the operations of the Kurdish coalition "Syrian Democratic Forces" to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

This marks Damascus's expansion of the military operation against the SDF in the Aleppo region after the failure to integrate the Kurdish coalition's armed units into the Syrian army.