"Footage captured on Friday shows the presence of forces from the US-led coalition against ISIS in Syria's Deir Hafer, Aleppo countryside, amid reports of a meeting with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This comes amid clashes between the SDF and Syrian government forces. The video shows US-flagged coalition armoured vehicles stationed on roads alongside SDF fighters, before the vehicles can later be seen departing the area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday that coalition forces held a meeting with the SDF leadership to address “the security and political developments in the region and bolstering cooperation among the concerned parties to ensure the stability and security of the residents.” The SOHR said discussions also focused on “reviewing the current field challenges and unifying efforts between the international coalition and the SDF to ensure the continuity of security and stability in areas experiencing intermittent tensions.” This follows the interim government's declaration on Tuesday of a 'closed military zone' from Deir Hafer to Maskanah, urging civilians to evacuate amid operations “to prevent armed groups from using it as a base for their criminal operations.” The SDF dismissed the claim as 'misleading' in a statement on the same day, denying troop movements in the area and accusing Damascus of “fabricating a crisis to justify escalation.” These developments follow last week's deadly clashes in Aleppo's Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods, which led to an SDF withdrawal. On March 10, the president of Syria's transitional phase, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement stipulating the “integration of all civilian and military institutions affiliated with the Kurdish Autonomous Administration into the Syrian state” by the end of 2025. However, the implementation has stalled, with sporadic clashes continuing. "