DAMASCUS, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- A senior adviser to the Syrian presidency on Thursday warned that options with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are narrowing, as tensions persist following recent clashes in Aleppo and delays in implementing a landmark March agreement aimed at integrating the group into the new Syrian state.
Ahmed Mouaffaq Zidan, media adviser to Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, said in a post on social media platform X that the SDF must bear responsibility for failing to honor commitments it signed on March 10 in the presence of international actors, including Türkiye and the United States.
"The options with the SDF have narrowed, and it must take responsibility for not fulfilling what it signed," Zidan said, referring to the agreement reached earlier this year that sought to pave the way for integration, de-escalation and the unification of Syrian territory.
The agreement was concluded under international guarantees and reflected a broader Syrian consensus around the country's transitional path, he added.
The remarks come against the backdrop of a recent security flare-up in Aleppo, where exchanges of fire and shelling were reported earlier this week in and around the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. The clashes resulted in civilian casualties, injuries among security personnel and the temporary displacement of families.
Syrian authorities accused SDF-linked forces of targeting residential areas and joint security positions, while the SDF issued statements blaming factions affiliated with Damascus for initiating the violence.
Syrian officials have repeatedly linked such incidents to delays in implementing the March agreement, which outlined a framework for dialogue between Damascus and the SDF, including the integration of military and administrative structures, the safeguarding of Syria's territorial unity, and arrangements for governance and security in the northeast. It was widely seen as a key step toward reducing fragmentation after years of parallel authorities.
Syrian officials have accused the SDF of stalling on integration and maintaining separate command structures, while the SDF has cited security concerns and the need for clearer guarantees. Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani has previously warned that prolonged delays would "harm the region and its people," emphasizing that stability in Syria's northeast is inseparable from national and regional stability. ■
