Syria: AANES Issues Warning Regarding Outcomes of ‘Astana Meetings’

A funeral procession held for female Kurdish leaders who were killed in a strike launched by a Turkish drone on Wednesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A funeral procession held for female Kurdish leaders who were killed in a strike launched by a Turkish drone on Wednesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Syria: AANES Issues Warning Regarding Outcomes of ‘Astana Meetings’

A funeral procession held for female Kurdish leaders who were killed in a strike launched by a Turkish drone on Wednesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A funeral procession held for female Kurdish leaders who were killed in a strike launched by a Turkish drone on Wednesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A high-ranking official within the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has issued a cautionary statement regarding the implications arising from the recent Astana meetings.

These meetings focused on deliberating a roadmap aimed at establishing normalized relations between Türkiye and the Syrian government.

According to the official, these outcomes carry substantial risks for the de-escalation zones in Syria, as they encompass the activation of military, security, and intelligence components between Ankara and Damascus.

This comes at a time the “Syrian Democratic Council,” the political body of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), stressed the importance of active involvement by Arab countries in finding a comprehensive political solution in Syria, in line with international resolutions.

The Council emphasized the necessity for Arab openness towards the Damascus government to align with “the aspirations of the Syrian people to achieve their demands for change and democratic transition.”

The co-chair of the Department of External Relations in the AANES, Bedran Ciya Kurd, affirmed that the outcomes of the recent Astana meeting have outlined a roadmap for cooperation and coordination between Damascus and Ankara on various levels.

Ciya Kurd further noted that the outcomes “guarantee the interests of all parties involved in the process, sharing influence among them, and embarking on actions against national interests.”

“This track has entered a new and dangerous phase aimed at repairing bilateral relations between Türkiye and the Syrian regime, at the expense of the Syrian people's interests,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It involves conducting mutual deals and working on security and intelligence issues to undermine stability in the established de-escalation zones,” explained Ciya Kurd.

Ciya Kurd’s remarks reflect the concerns of Syrian Kurds that the normalization between Ankara and Damascus may come at their expense.

The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, accuses the Kurds of having separatist tendencies, while Türkiye accuses them of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization.



Lebanon and Syria Agree on Ceasefire After Deadly Cross-Border Clashes 

Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
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Lebanon and Syria Agree on Ceasefire After Deadly Cross-Border Clashes 

Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)

Lebanon's Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart Murhaf Abu Qasra agreed on a ceasefire, the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministries said in statements on Monday, as cross-border clashes in the last two days left 10 dead.

Three soldiers in Syria's new army and seven Lebanese were killed in border clashes during the past two days, the Syrian defense ministry and Lebanese health ministry said.

On the Lebanese side, 52 people were wounded, the health ministry said.

The Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers also agreed on continuing contacts between the army intelligence directorates to prevent more deterioration on the border.

The mountainous frontier has been a flashpoint in the three months since opposition factions toppled Syria's Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Tehran and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and installed their own institutions and army.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Raji met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani in Brussels to discuss the cross-border developments and agreed to maintain contacts, the Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.

Late on Sunday, Syria's defense ministry accused Hezbollah of crossing into Syrian territory and kidnapping and killing the three members of Syria's new army. Hezbollah denied any involvement.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters the three Syrian soldiers had crossed into Lebanese territory first and were killed by armed members of a tribe in northeastern Lebanon who feared their town was under attack.

Syrian troops responded by shelling Lebanese border towns overnight, according to the Syrian defense ministry and the Lebanese army.

Residents of the town of Al-Qasr, less than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) from the border, told Reuters they fled further inland to escape the bombardment.

Lebanon's army said in a statement on Monday that it had handed over the bodies of the three killed Syrians to Syrian authorities, and that it had responded to fire from Syrian territory and sent reinforcements to the border area.

Syria's army sent a convoy of troops and several tanks to the frontier on Monday, according to a Reuters reporter along the border. Syrian troops fired into the air as they moved through towns on the way to the border.

"Large military reinforcements were brought in to reinforce positions along the Syrian-Lebanese border and prevent any breaches in the coming days," said Maher Ziwani, the head of a Syrian army division deploying to the border.