Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) bombarded villages in Deir Hafer with artillery and an SDF-affiliated sniper targeted a civilian on a motorcycle attempting to leave the town, the Syrian Army reported over the past hour ending at 12:15 PM UTC on January 13, 2026, in the eastern Aleppo countryside. The artillery bombardment was reported by Raqqa SL on X, while Al Arabiya Breaking cited a Syrian Army statement on the sniper incident during the one-hour reporting window from 11:15 AM UTC. These developments follow the Syrian military's declaration earlier today of Deir Hafer and Maskana as closed military zones, urging SDF withdrawal east of the Euphrates, according to QalaatAlMudiq. The Syrian Army sent reinforcements to the eastern Aleppo front after detecting SDF movements, as stated by the military command in announcements reported before 11:00 AM UTC. Civilians were urged to avoid SDF positions to prevent attacks. Separately, Verify Syria debunked a claim that a video showed a march with Turkish and Turkmen flags in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, confirming it depicted a December 7, 2025, event in Damascus's Tadamon neighborhood.
