Turkey says Syria using force is an option against US-backed fighters who helped defeat ISIS

Sen. Warner questions whether America should be a world ‘policeman' after US strikes Syria Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reports on U.S. strikes in Syria and escalating protests in Iran. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., gives analysis on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ Tensions between Syria’s transitional government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) escalated this week after Turkey warned that Damascus could resort to military force against the group, following days of deadly clashes in and around Aleppo. The SDF played a critical role in aiding U.S. forces to defeat the Islamic State in Syria. Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Thursday that Syria’s use of force against the SDF seems an option, adding he hoped the crisis could be resolved through dialogue, according to Reuters . The remarks came after several days of fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters that displaced tens of thousands of civilians and left at least 23 people dead, Reuters reported. The warning underscores mounting regional pressure as negotiations aimed at integrating the SDF into Syria’s national army remain stalled nearly a year after a U.S.-backed framework agreement was signed. Syrian army soldiers in the entrance of Sheik Maksoud neighborhood during fighting against the SDF on Jan. 10, 2026, in Aleppo. (Adri Salido/Getty Image) The United States remains deeply involved in efforts to prevent the confrontation from spiraling, with U.S. Central Command mediating daily on the ground in Syria alongside partners such as France, the U.K., Turkey and Jordan. "CENTCOM is on the ground inside Syria playing an active mediating role every single day," said Charles Lister, senior fellow and director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute. "Fundamentally, the United States remains the SDF’s biggest and most important backer, supporter, provider of finance, training and, to an extent, defense," he said. Lister said Washington has already used significant leverage, including compelling SDF leader Mazloum Abdi to sign the March 2025 framework agreement. DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN - AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER U.S. forces provide military training to members of the SDF in the Qamisli district in the Al-Hasakah province, Syria on Aug. 18, 2023. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) "We would not have had the March framework agreement had it not been for basically Gen. Mazloum being strong-armed onto a helicopter, flown to Damascus, and told that he needed to sign that agreement," he said. In a statement released on Wednesday, the SDF accused Syrian government forces and Turkey of what it described as a "dangerous military escalation" across eastern Aleppo’s countryside , including Deir Hafer, Maskanah and the area surrounding the Tishreen Dam. The SDF claimed Syrian government forces carried out more than a dozen attacks using artillery, mortars and suicide drones and said civilian infrastructure, including a post office and a bakery, was struck. The SDF also said Turkish Bayraktar drones struck multiple SDF positions near Maskanah and Tabqah. Turkey and the Syrian government had not publicly responded...

Preview: ~500 words