Syrian army seizes northern oil fields amid Kurdish SDF withdrawal

Syrian government forces advanced into dozens of towns and villages in northern Syria as Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces began a planned withdrawal to territory east of the Euphrates. The military entered the main town of Deir Hafer and moved into Maskana, while announcing it had taken control of the Sufyan and Thawrah oil fields as SDF fighters redeployed along the river.

SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi posted on X that SDF units would withdraw from contested areas and relocate east of the Euphrates, with the redeployment to begin at 07:00 local time. The withdrawal followed fresh clashes earlier in the month that had already strained fragile arrangements between Damascus and the U.S.-backed SDF. Months of talks in 2025 aimed at integrating Kurdish-run military and civilian bodies into Syrian state institutions produced little visible progress, and tensions boiled over again this week.

Journalists and observers on the ground described columns of tanks, armored personnel carriers and pickup trucks with mounted heavy weapons entering Deir Hafer after bulldozers cleared makeshift barricades. Witnesses reported an absence of SDF positions on the town’s edge by the time government forces arrived. Maskana saw skirmishing as troops moved in; state media reported two soldiers killed and additional personnel wounded. The SDF disputed the timing of the government advance, saying forces entered towns before full withdrawal, while state authorities accused the SDF of firing on an army patrol near Maskana and breaching the agreement.

The seizure of the Sufyan and Thawrah oil fields underscores the strategic stakes of the operation. Kurdish forces retain control of larger oil installations farther east in Deir el-Zor province, but Syrian state authorities assert central control over energy resources and view the current sweep as reclaiming sovereign territory. Control of oilfields has been a central element of the longer-term contest over governance and revenue in north and east Syria, and the transfer of assets risks hardening positions on both sides.

Civilians bore the immediate cost of the advance. More than 11,000 people fled Deir Hafer and Maskana in the two days surrounding the operation, using side roads to seek safety in government-held areas. Local accounts indicate a mixed reaction among residents; some Arab inhabitants welcomed the return of government forces, while displacement and the threat of renewed fighting have deepened humanitarian needs in an already fragile region.

International actors moved to contain escalation. U.S. military officials visited Deir Hafer and engaged with SDF leaders in the day before the move, seeking calm and reaffirming ties with both sides. Flights by coalition aircraft were reported over flashpoint towns and were said to include warning flares, though coalition sources did not immediately comment. The repositioning effectively redraws the front line along the Euphrates, creating a de facto east-west divide that will shape security, governance and aid access.

The rapidly evolving situation leaves open several questions: which side breached the withdrawal terms, how control of energy resources will be managed under Syrian law, and whether international mediation can prevent further displacement or a broader confrontation. For residents of northern Syria, the change in control signals yet another chapter in a conflict that continues to reshuffle local authorities and livelihoods.