The Syrian city of Aleppo once again became the site of fighting on Friday after Kurdish groups rejected government demands to abandon their positions.

Syrian forces hit the Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighborhoods, which have been held by Kurdish forces since the early days of the civil war that broke out in 2011.

Although Kurdish fighters said they have already left the city, Kurdish security forces remain in place.

Why did fighting break out between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces in Aleppo?

The Syrian Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire overnight into Friday, calling on Kurdish forces to leave the city and move into other Kurdish-held areas.

But Kurdish forces rejected what they called "a call to surrender," adding that they would "defend their neighborhoods."

Several hours later, the Defense Ministry said the deadline for withdrawal had passed and that the military would take control of the districts by force.

It said it had carried out strikes on locations used by Kurdish forces to attack the "people of Aleppo."

Kurdish security forces said some of the strikes hit a hospital, accusing the military of committing a war crime. The Defense Ministry said the site had been a weapons depot.

Claims and counterclaims between Syrian army and Kurdish forces

On Saturday morning, the Syrian army said it had combed through the Sheikh Maqsoud district, an indication that forces may have taken control of the area.

In a post on X, the Syrian army said that the only option left for those fighting it "is to immediately surrender themselves and their weapons to the nearest military point in exchange for guarantees of their lives and personal safety."

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), however, denied the Syrian army's version of events, labelling them "false and misleading."

Later in a statement to the official SANA news agency, the military announced "a halt to all military operations in the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood" from 3:00 pm (1200 GMT).

This was also disputed by Kurdish forces who said their fighters were still fending off a "fierce attack" and called the army statement "a blatant attempt to mislead public opinion."

What is the situation in Syria's Aleppo?

Aleppo is home to one of the many fault lines that the post-Assad government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa are faced with.

Recent fighting in the city has displaced over 140,000 people and killed at least nine civilians.

Kurdish forces are the main group in the collection of armed groups that make up the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — a US-backed group that was integral in fighting so-called Islamic State (IS).

The new Syrian government signed an agreement with the SDF to integrate the forces into the Defense Ministry by the end of 2025, but little progress has been made.

France and the US have been seeking to mediate in the situation, with a diplomat telling the Reuters news agency that efforts have focused on finding a deal that would see Kurdish forces leave with protections in place for Kurds who remain in the city.

A French Foreign Ministry statement said President Emmanuel Macron had urged Sharaa on Thursday "to exercise restraint and reiterated France's commitment to a united Syria where all segments of Syrian society are represented and protected."

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko, Karl Sexton