Fighting Intensifies in Aleppo: Shelling, Executions and Border Closures

World 11:20 PM - 2026-01-09

Heavy shelling of Kurdis.h areas in Aleppo

The predominantly Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo, northern Syria, was subjected to heavy shelling by forces affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government on Friday evening, 9 January 2026. The bombardment caused extensive damage to civilian property and spread fear and panic among residents, particularly women and children.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), citing its own sources, reported that several shells struck the neighbourhood, some landing in densely populated residential areas. Homes sustained partial and complete damage, while private property and infrastructure were destroyed. No confirmed information regarding casualties has been reported so far.

SOHR said the shelling prompted residents to flee towards safer areas amid continued tension and heightened military mobilisation around the neighbourhood.

The escalation comes amid rising tensions in Aleppo and its surrounding countryside, with residents and civil society organisations calling for an immediate halt to the shelling, the protection of civilians, and respect for international law prohibiting attacks on residential areas.

Two hospital staff executed in Ashrafieh

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that members of the Interim Government’s Ministry of Defence carried out an extrajudicial execution on Friday of two staff members at Othman Hospital in the Ashrafieh neighbourhood of Aleppo.

According to SOHR, the incident occurred after Ministry of Defence forces and affiliated militias stormed the neighbourhood on Thursday. Information provided by the victims’ families, supported by photographs, confirmed the killing of a pharmacist, born in 1989, and his uncle, born in 1968, who worked as a technician at the hospital.

The Observatory stated that the hospital was first targeted with several rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) before Ministry of Defence fighters entered the building. Following the assault, families were informed that the two men, along with a third individual who had been with them inside the hospital, had been arrested before they were killed.

During attempts by relatives to establish their fate through officials in Aleppo, they later received confirmation — accompanied by photographs — that the two men had been executed by gunfire inside the hospital.

Seven civilians killed in Dayr Hafir

In a separate development, the death toll in the city of Dayr Hafir in eastern Aleppo countryside rose to seven civilians after one of the wounded died from injuries sustained during intense aerial and artillery bombardment on Thursday evening.

According to documentation by SOHR activists, drones and artillery shells struck residential neighbourhoods, killing seven civilians, including three children, and causing widespread destruction to civilian property. The attacks triggered panic and forced internal displacement as a result of what the Observatory described as systematic targeting of populated areas.

SOHR reiterated its condemnation of the use of heavy weapons and drones against residential neighbourhoods, warning of a growing humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo and its countryside. It called on influential international powers to exert immediate pressure to halt military operations that violate international humanitarian law and endanger civilian lives, particularly those of children.

Sheikh Maqsoud declared a military zone

Meanwhile, the Syrian army declared Sheikh Maqsoud a “closed military zone” and imposed a night-time curfew.

In a statement, the army’s operations command advised civilians inside the neighbourhood to stay away from windows, move to lower floors, and avoid areas near Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions.

The army also called on residents to evacuate specific locations in Sheikh Maqsoud in preparation for shelling, accusing the SDF of using those sites for military purposes. The announcement came just hours after a ceasefire had been declared in the area.

State news agency SANA published maps prepared by the Syrian army showing locations it claimed were being used as “military points to shell Aleppo neighbourhoods and residents”, urging civilians to evacuate immediately. The government also announced the opening of designated corridors for residents to leave during specific hours and called on Kurdish fighters to lay down their arms.

These developments follow clashes that erupted on Tuesday in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods between government and Kurdish forces, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries and the displacement of tens of thousands of residents.

Crossings with SDF areas closed

Separately, the Syrian Interim Government has closed all roads and crossings linking areas under its control with those held by the Syrian Democratic Forces, in a sudden move expected to disrupt civilian movement and trade.

According to SOHR, the closures include the Athriya road, the Aleppo–Raqqa road, and the Maadan–Deir ez-Zor route, as well as river and land crossings across the Deir ez-Zor region.

The decision has led to near-total paralysis of civilian transport and movement, raising fears of serious humanitarian and economic consequences, particularly for residents reliant on these routes to access basic necessities. No official explanation has been provided regarding the reasons for the closures or their expected duration.



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