The regions of northern Syria are witnessing intense military preparations and accelerating events, coinciding with the announcement by Turkey and the Syrian factions loyal to it of preparing for a military operation against the "Syrian Democratic Forces", aimed at liberating areas in the north and north-east of Aleppo, and establishing a safe area on the Syrian and Turkish border strips, 35 km deep, inside Syrian territory.
SDF leaders and their families evacuated their homes in the areas of Tal Rifaat and Menagh, according to an agreement with the Syrian regime forces to hand them over the positions near the lines of contact with the Syrian opposition factions.
Turkey has sent about 18,000 of its forces and thousands of military vehicles (tanks, rocket launchers and heavy artillery) and logistical equipment to its military bases and combat sites near the contact lines with the SDF in the countryside of Raqqa, north and northeastern Syria, in addition to the faction of the “Syrian National Army” sending large military reinforcements to the contact lines with the SDF. The military reinforcements were accompanied by conducting military maneuvers with live weapons.
A source in the Syrian opposition factions loyal to Turkey said that after the factions of the "Syrian National Army" took positions, thousands of fighters to the lines of contact with SDF began to support them. The factions conduct military maneuvers for their members, with weapons and live ammunition, to provide the fighters with high skills, in addition to coordinating with the Turkish forces in the mechanism of distributing fighters on the various axes of the areas that were included on the map of the military operation, especially the areas of Manbij, Tal Rifaat and the adjacent areas. The source added: "While monitoring the movements of SDF, elements within the areas of Tal Rifaat and Mingh and the surrounding villages, the progress of military vehicles belonging to the Syrian regime forces to military sites affiliated with the SDF was monitored, and the regime's flags were raised over the buildings in the city of Tal Rifaat and the area of Aleppo, followed by the departure of a number of families of SDF fighters and leaders from the city, towards the city of Aleppo.”
Activists in Aleppo said that most of the areas in northern Aleppo and northeastern Syria have recently been experiencing the impact of military preparations and preparations from various parties, seeing scenes of military convoys flowing to the contact lines, in addition to daily clashes with heavy weapons, between SDF and the Turkish forces and the Syrian National Army factions, amid a state of tension and escalation, foreshadowing the imminent launch of a military operation in northern Syria.
On the humanitarian front, activists in the Al-Shahba, Menagh and Tal Rifaat area, which are under the control of the SDF, and others in the city of Afrin, Al-Bab, Marea and other areas under Turkish influence and opposition factions, said that “the people have recently been living in a state of tension and fear after increasing talk about the imminent launch of an operation. The Turkish military, and the people on both sides are concerned about the dangers of rockets and missiles reaching populated areas, which prompted, during the past two days, the displacement of a large number of families from those areas to areas relatively far from the lines of contact and the areas of expected clashes.”
In a related context, eyewitnesses in the countryside of Aleppo said that, during the last hours, a large number of Iranian militia fighters (Fatimoun Brigade, Zainabiyoun, Al-Baqir Brigade and the pro-Iranian Syrian Hezbollah) were monitored, and they deployed in advanced and nearby military positions, from Tal Rifaat and the lines of contact with the Syrian National Army, northwest of Aleppo, with the aim of protecting the area from a possible incursion by Turkish forces and opposition factions.