The Syrian army moved to areas east of the city of Aleppo, after the Kurdish forces began to retreat.
Syrian troops were seen entering Deir Hafer, a town about 50km (30 miles) from Aleppo.
Last Friday, the militia of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that it would move east of the Euphrates river. This follows talks by US officials, and a pledge from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to make Kurdish the national language.
After last week’s deadly clashes, the US urged both sides to avoid confrontation. President al-Sharaa intends to integrate the military and civilian bodies of the Kurds into the national institutions of Syria.
In a statement to the state-run news agency Sana, the Syrian army said its forces “started to enter the western Euphrates area”, and declared it had established “full military control” in Deir Hafer.
The military has urged civilians not to enter the operation area until it is secured and “cleared of all mines and remnants of war”.
The images show Syrian forces advancing towards the area, including tanks.
The move comes after Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi agreed to return his US-backed SDF “towards redeployment in areas east of the Euphrates”, responding to “calls from friendly countries and mediators”.
US special envoy Tom Barrack and Mazloum Abdi are scheduled to meet later Saturday in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
In recent days, the Syrian army has urged civilians to flee the Deir Hafer area, with at least 4,000 people will leaveaccording to Syrian authorities.
Before the Kurdish retreat, President al-Sharaa said he would make Kurdish a national language, and recognize the Kurdish new year as an official holiday.
The order, announced on Friday, is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria’s independence in 1946. It states that the Kurds are “an important and integral part” of Syria, where they have suffered decades of oppression under previous rulers.
Despite the apparent easing of tensions, disagreements remain. In response to the order, the Kurdish administration in the north and northeast of Syria said it was “a first step” but called for “permanent constitutions that express the will of the people”, rather than “temporary orders”.
Meanwhile, after the Syrian troops entered the areas east of Aleppo, Damascus accused of “violating” the agreement by moving earlier than agreed.
The Syrian army also accused the SDF of “violating the agreement”, saying two of its soldiers were killed by Kurdish forces as the military moved out.
Kurdish forces control swathes of oil-rich Syria in the north and northeast, much of it captured during the civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group over the past decade.
Following the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, President al-Sharaa sought to integrate Kurdish bodies into Syrian institutions.
In March 2025, the The SDF signed an agreement with the government to that effect. Almost a year later, the agreement is still not implemented, with each side blaming the other.