08.09.25 – 14.09.25
Israeli airstrike on depot of Turkish weapons
On the 8th of September, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck military facilities and weapons depots in Latakia and Homs provinces, some of which contained recently imported Turkish air defense systems. The IDF also targeted a Syrian Army barracks in Latakia Province, causing casualties.
An Israeli security official declared on the 9th of September that the IDF targeted Turkish missiles and air defense systems in Homs that Turkey had recently transferred to Syria. The following day, the Israeli Chief of Staff confirmed this information in a statement affirming that those weapons represented a threat to its freedom of action in Syria. The presence of these Turkish weapons on Syrian soil is the result of military agreements: the Syrian Transitional Government formally requested Turkish military assistance after Israeli strikes targeted Damascus and Suwayda Province during massacre targetting the Druze community in July.
Syrian soldiers and police officers in Turkey
Turkey has begun the training of aproximately 300 soldiers and police officers at two military bases located in central and eastern Turkey.
This training falls under the security agreements established on the 13th of August, which allow Syria to consult Turkey on military matters and includes provisions for Turkey to assist in procuring military equipment for Syria and training Syrian forces. Turkey plans to train 5,000 members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and police forces in the “short term,” with a goal of training “at least 20,000 in the medium to long term.”
Attempts from Turkey to acquire the houses of the displaced people from Serekaniye
Hundreds of displaced individuals from Serekaniye protested at the Waşokani Camp, condemning the display of Turkish and Pakistani flags in their hometown. The protest was sparked by reports of a Turkish-backed initiative to purchase the homes and lands of displaced people from Serekaniye, raising fears of ongoing demographic changes. The protesters rejected Turkey’s offers to buy their properties, describing it as a violation of their rights.
Additionally, a meeting in Serekaniye involved Turkish officials and local leaders discussing the acquisition of properties from displaced Kurds and Christians.
Turkey’s various efforts to acquire the properties of displaced individuals from Serekaniye is a way to undermine the implementation of the March 10 agreements, which stipulate that the return of displaced people from Afrin and Serêkaniyê to their homes must be facilitated.
SDF – MoD clashes
On the 10th of September, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the MoD engaged in artillery exchanges in Aleppo Province. The SDF launched multiple rocket artillery strikes that hit civilian residences in villages located in contested areas. This shelling resulted in the deaths of two civilians and injuries to seven others. In retaliation, MoD forces conducted counter-battery fire targeting SDF artillery positions. There have been no reported military casualties.
The SDF released a statement on the 11th of September, which claimed that the SDF “repelled” MoD forces who attempted to “infiltrate and launch artillery attacks in the Deir Hafer area,”.
SDF in Deir Ez Zor
On the 11th of September, the Arab al Shaytat clan mobilized against SDF following the killing of an unarmed civilian who did not stop at a checkpoint in Gharanij, Deir ez Zor Province. In response, the Gharanij mosque broadcast calls on social media for “jihad and general mobilization,”. The al Shaytat clan called on all clans in eastern Deir ez Zor Province to join their mobilization against the SDF. Residents of Gharanij attacked SDF checkpoints as a result of the killing and the mobilization order.
This mobilization follows heightened tensions between Arab tribes and the SDF, with seven Arab tribes announcing their own mobilization against the SDF on the 11th of August.
The mobilized tribes have indicated they are “waiting for the right moment to begin action,” which may refer to a potential breakdown in the ceasefire between the SDF and the Syrian transitional government.
A few days later on the 14th, during a raid campaign and siege of the Deir Ez Zor town of Darnaj, SDF faced a direct attack from armed groups affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government.