ALEPPO — Syria’s defense minister announced a nationwide ceasefire on Tuesday following overnight clashes between government security forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, marking the latest flare-up in tensions between Damascus and Kurdish authorities in the country’s northeast.

Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said in a statement that he met with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Damascus, where both sides “agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts and military positions in northern and northeastern Syria.”

“The implementation of this agreement will begin immediately,” Abu Qasra said.

The fighting erupted late Monday as relations between the central government and Kurdish factions — who hold broad autonomy across northeastern Syria — deteriorated in recent weeks.

State-run news agency SANA reported that SDF fighters targeted checkpoints manned by Internal Security Forces in Aleppo, killing one person and wounding four.

It said the Kurdish-led forces also fired mortars and heavy machine guns into the Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighborhoods, causing civilian casualties, though no figures were given.

The SDF denied attacking government checkpoints, claiming its forces had withdrawn from the area months earlier. In a statement, it accused Syrian military factions of launching “repeated attacks” on civilians and imposing a siege on Kurdish-majority neighborhoods.

According to the SDF, government forces used “tanks, armored vehicles, mortar shells, and drone strikes” against residential areas, causing significant destruction and civilian casualties. It said the escalation “provoked residents to defend themselves alongside local internal security forces.”

The clashes highlight ongoing friction between the transitional Syrian government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and the SDF, which maintains control over much of the country’s northeast.

Al-Sharaa signed a March agreement with the U.S.-backed SDF to integrate its fighters into a unified national army. However, implementation of the deal has stalled amid disagreements over governance and autonomy.

On Tuesday, al-Sharaa’s office said he met with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to discuss “implementation of the SDF agreement in a manner that safeguards Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” as well as broader efforts to “enhance security and stability.”

Syria held parliamentary elections on Sunday across most of the country, but no voting took place in SDF-held areas.

The fragile truce announced Tuesday aims to restore calm in Aleppo and prevent a broader breakdown of the already tenuous cooperation between Damascus and Kurdish forces. — Agencies