"Hundreds of families were forced to flee Deir Hafer in eastern Aleppo on Friday after Syrian transitional government forces warned that the town had been designated a 'closed military zone' amid ongoing tensions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Footage shows displaced residents carrying their belongings as they cross a dilapidated bridge over a channel of the Euphrates River. Others can also be seen wading through the water, forced onto dangerous alternative routes after allegedly being denied access to the safe corridor.  "We came through a difficult submerged route," displaced resident Khaldiah Al Bakkar explained. "They obstructed us, so we had to sneak through the area to reach here." "I am sick, and my mother has diabetes. For the past two days, we have been searching for a shelter," local Muhammad Drbash added.  According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), around 27,000 citizens have fled the Deir Hafer and Maskana areas.  The transitional government blamed the SDF for hindering the evacuation of civilians through a safe humanitarian corridor set up in the village of Hamima. SDF denied the allegation, underscoring that the disruption of civilian movement was caused by 'military escalation, mobilisation, and continuous shelling' by Damascus-affiliated factions. On Saturday morning, the Syrian army announced that it had established 'full military control' of Deir Hafer and Maskana in eastern Aleppo, following the withdrawal of the SDF. In response, the head of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, warned of 'dangerous repercussions' after accusing Damascus of violating an internally agreed withdrawal agreement in the area, alleging 'intense artillery shelling' by Syrian armed forces.  The Syrian army had previously claimed it would not target SDF soldiers during the withdrawal.  The development unfolded following deadly clashes between the two sides in the neighbourhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud last week. The SDF eventually pulled out of the two neighbourhoods. On March 10, 2025, Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement to integrate all civil and military institutions affiliated with the Kurdish self-administration into the framework of the Syrian state by the end of 2025. However, the agreement had not been implemented at the time of publication, and sporadic clashes between the two sides have continued. In December 2024, Syria's transitional government took power in Damascus, with Ahmed al-Sharaa later appointed transitional president, pledging to form an inclusive government."