Syrian Druze militias were attacked by troops allegedly linked with the Syrian government in the Sweida region, with two members of the "National Guard" movement being killed during the fights, Ynet reported on Monday night, citing the Syrian Center for Human Rights.
Two other people were killed during clashes between the Syrian army and troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, Syrian newspaper Enab Baladi reported, while other media sources assured that the total death count was raised to four.
According to the state-run newspaper al-Ikhbariya, SDF snipers targeted troops from the Syrian army in Aleppo. At the same time, the news agency SANA reported that several roads were closed after coming under gunfire.
Finally, Enab Baladi reported that gunfire and shelling were heard in several neighbourhoods of Aleppo during the day, which was attributed to clashes between the SDF and the Syrian army.
The recent clashes coincide with the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Syria, who said that the group must reintegrate into the Syrian defence mechanism peacefully.
The SDF, a US-aligned Kurdish-led militia operating in northern Syria, is seen by Turkey as linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as a terrorist organization.
Syrian government, SDF agree to de-escalate after Aleppo clashes
According to Reuters reports, the Syrian government agreed to de-escalate the conflict with the SDF by ordering its troops to stop targeting the Kurdish forces.
SANA, citing the defense ministry, said the army's general command issued an order to stop targeting the SDF's fire sources.
The SDF said in a statement later that it had issued instructions to stop responding to attacks by Syrian government forces following de-escalation contacts.