The Syrian Army reported taking full military control of the city of Deir Hafer on Saturday. This city is about 50 kilometers east of Aleppo. This happened after the Kurdish-led 'Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) agreed to pull back from the area west of the Euphrates River.
Reports say government troops moved into the city with tanks. They also advanced toward the nearby al-Jarrah military airbase. Before this, there had been heavy fighting in the region. This fighting caused a large number of civilians to flee. Estimates suggest that over 11,000 people left the area.
At the same time as the military advance, the interim government in Damascus signaled political compromises to the Kurdish minority. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a 'Decree'. This decree recognizes Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic. It also grants Kurds Syrian citizenship. Furthermore, the 'Newroz' festival was declared an official public holiday.
On the international stage, Syria is also gaining attention. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to receive the Syrian interim president in Berlin next Tuesday. The main topics of discussion are planned to be the country's reconstruction and the possible return of Syrian refugees. However, this visit is facing criticism within the German coalition, especially from the SPD party. The SPD still believes the security situation in Syria is unstable.
