The Syrian army said Sunday it was reviewing its operational options after what it described as "repeated violations" by the U.S.-backed YPG terrorists, following a series of explosive drone attacks that targeted military positions and civilian areas in northern Syria.
“The Syrian army is assessing the field situation and reviewing its operational choices in response to the targeting of civilians and its deployment positions, and will take the necessary measures,” the army’s Operations Command said in a statement carried by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The statement said YPG forces launched more than 25 first-person-view explosive drones at Syrian army positions in the Aleppo countryside, particularly around the town of Ayn al-Arab. Four military vehicles were destroyed, it said.
The Operations Command added that drones also targeted the M4 highway and nearby villages, wounding several civilians.
The Defense Ministry’s media department said most of the drones were launched from areas around Ayn al-Arab and were aimed at civilian homes and roads in the town of Sarrin, south of the city. Several civilians were wounded, it said.
Syrian army units shot down a number of drones before they reached residential areas east of Aleppo, the ministry said.
In a separate incident, SANA reported that YPG forces surrounded the homes of several families near the village of al-Shuyoukh, close to Ayn al-Arab, as part of a “systematic arrest policy” aimed at detaining their sons. Clashes later broke out with local residents, leaving civilians injured.
The escalation came a day after Damascus announced a 15-day extension of a ceasefire agreement with the YPG-dominated SDF. Syrian authorities had earlier said a four-day truce had expired and that the government was weighing its next steps.
