Syria’s government and Kurdish-led forces have agreed to extend a fragile ceasefire by 15 days, officials from both sides said late Saturday, temporarily easing tensions after weeks of rapid territorial shifts and military pressure in the country’s north and east.
The truce, which had been due to expire overnight, now pauses fighting between government troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed coalition that has controlled large parts of northeastern Syria for years.
The extension comes as Damascus seeks to consolidate control over regions recently seized from Kurdish forces, while Washington intensifies diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader conflict.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces have captured wide swathes of territory over the past two weeks in a dramatic reversal of the battlefield balance, strengthening his grip on power after months of rising instability.
Earlier this week, government units were closing in on the SDF’s last major positions when Sharaa abruptly announced a four-day ceasefire, giving Kurdish leaders until Saturday night to either negotiate integration into Syria’s army or face renewed fighting.
That deadline passed with little visible progress, and both sides traded accusations of bad faith throughout the day.
A Syrian official said the SDF had failed to respond to government outreach, while Kurdish leaders accused Damascus of “systematic” military escalation through troop movements and reinforcements.
Just before midnight, Syria’s Defense Ministry announced a further suspension of military operations, saying the pause would last 15 days to support a U.S.-led effort to relocate Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq.
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The ministry said the new ceasefire took effect at 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT).
The SDF confirmed the extension in a statement, saying the deal was reached through international mediation and that “dialogue with Damascus continues.”
The United States has been engaging in shuttle diplomacy to broker a lasting arrangement between the Syrian state and the SDF, which for years served as Washington’s primary partner in the fight against Islamic State.
According to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters, senior U.S. and French officials have warned President Sharaa against deploying troops into remaining Kurdish-held areas, citing fears that renewed fighting could lead to large-scale abuses against Kurdish civilians.
Those concerns are heightened by recent sectarian violence involving government-aligned forces, which killed nearly 1,500 people from the Alawite minority and hundreds of Druze last year, including reports of execution-style killings.
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Meanwhile, the instability in northeastern Syria has complicated efforts to manage thousands of detained Islamic State fighters and their families.
The U.S. military has been transferring hundreds of those detainees from former SDF-run prisons across the border into Iraq, a process Washington says is aimed at preventing prison breaks and renewed militant activity.
As Saturday’s original deadline approached, Kurdish security sources said SDF fighters had fortified positions in key cities including Qamishli, Hasakeh, and Kobane, preparing for a possible return to combat.
The ceasefire extension offers a temporary window for negotiations, but with core issues unresolved — including command authority, territorial control, and integration of forces — the risk of renewed conflict remains high.