Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreed After Aleppo Clashes

Syrian government and US‑backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire after deadly overnight clashes in Aleppo, following a Damascus meeting between Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, with implementation said to begin immediately and deployment points agreed across northern and northeastern Syria. State and local reports said at least one member of Syria’s security forces was killed and several security personnel and civilians were wounded in fighting around the Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafieh neighborhoods, prompting Aleppo authorities to close schools and public institutions. Syrian state media and SANA accused SDF/YPG elements of attacking checkpoints and using heavy weapons, while SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami denied responsibility, blamed government provocations and a “stifling siege,” and called for relief for residents. The ceasefire further complicates a U.S.-brokered March deal to integrate SDF units into Syrian security forces and transfer resources to Damascus, with both sides trading blame for repeated clashes since August. Officials said the agreement aims to calm frontlines amid broader unrest following this year’s regime change.