Tensions have escalated on the frontlines between Turkish forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, coinciding with mounting friction between the Syrian army and the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Both sides have reportedly been sending reinforcements, with speculation rising that HTS is preparing for a large-scale assault on Syrian army positions.
In a separate development, the European Union has called on Turkey to investigate allegations of mistreatment of refugees in EU-funded facilities and reports of forced deportations to Syria.
Meanwhile, villages in the eastern countryside of Aleppo saw artillery exchanges between Turkish-backed Syrian National Army factions and the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the SDF. Turkish artillery reportedly targeted multiple sites in the Manbij countryside, while the Manbij Military Council retaliated by shelling a Turkish base in the village of Baldaq, located southeast of Jarabulus in Aleppo, resulting in injuries, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Saturday.
