The Syrian army said on Thursday it would open a corridor for the evacuation of civilians in Aleppo province, where there is a concentration of armed units after intense clashes between government troops and Kurdish forces in the city of Aleppo, the Associated Press reported.
The army issued a statement on the upcoming evacuation tonight, stating that civilians will be able to pass through the "humanitarian corridor" on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.
This appears to be a signal of a planned offensive in the towns of Deir Hafer and Maskana, which are located about 60 km east of Aleppo, the AP commented.
The military has called on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and other armed groups in the area to withdraw east of the Euphrates River. Syrian government troops have sent reinforcements to the area after accusing the SDF of massing its fighters there. The SDF has denied the allegations.
There has been sporadic exchange of fire between the two sides, and the SDF said there had been Turkish drone strikes in the area.
The government in Damascus has accused the Kurdish-led forces of carrying out drone attacks in Aleppo, with one of the strikes hitting the city's governorate building on Saturday, shortly after a news conference by two cabinet ministers.
Tensions in the Deir Hafer area have escalated after intense clashes in Aleppo since last week. The fighting ended with the evacuation of hundreds of Kurdish fighters and the takeover of three disputed neighborhoods by government forces. The fighting has killed at least 23 people, injured dozens and forced tens of thousands from their homes.
The SDF is a US-backed military coalition that controls much of northeastern Syria. Washington has been their partner in the fight against the "Islamic State". During Syria's 14-year civil war, Kurdish authorities have established a semi-autonomous administration in those areas, as well as in parts of Aleppo. The Kurds have resisted their full integration into the Islamist-led central government in Damascus, which came to power after the ouster of then-President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
Damascus and the SDF reached an agreement last year that envisaged the Kurdish military coalition being fully integrated by the end of 2025 to the central government and its army. Damascus was then expected to take control of a number of institutions, border crossings and oil fields in northeastern Syria. However, it later turned out that limited progress had been made in this process, for which both sides blamed each other.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision of the United States to declare the branches of the “Muslim Brotherhood“ in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.
The ministry reaffirmed the kingdom's position against extremism and terrorism, as well as its support for all measures that contribute to the security, stability and prosperity of Arab countries and to security in the region and the world.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Abu Dhabi, where The Turkish diplomat is on an official visit, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced.
According to Turkish state television "TRT Haber", Fidan and Al Nahyan discussed bilateral issues, cooperation in a number of areas to date, as well as the development of potential opportunities.
No further details about the meeting have been released at this time.
Member of the Yemeni Presidential Council, Sultan al-Arada, officially launched the SABA TV channel. Al-Arada said the channel would serve as a window to showcase Yemen to the world and a platform to present the country's culture and issues, the Yemeni news agency SABA reported.
He said the channel's role was to promote national awareness and unity and would work to support state institutions.
Al-Arada stressed the importance of responsible journalism and conveying messages from Yemen to the world.