“SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi has issued an ultimatum to HTS: if another wave of genocidal attacks against Alawites takes place, our forces are preparing to intervene to protect them,” Kurdish journalist Özgür Avzem said in a televised interview with Medya Haber TV on Monday.
Avzem shared sensitive information allegedly stemming from recent talks between Abdi and Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group operating primarily in northwestern Syria and designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and several Western countries.
The stark warning comes amid what Avzem described as a “historically critical” moment in Syria and Rojava. “We are witnessing intense, yet fragile developments on military, diplomatic, and social fronts,” he said.
Avzem highlighted that while Turkish attacks on Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria continue on a smaller scale, the overall situation remains volatile. “There’s no such thing as a ‘normal day’ in Syria right now. What we’re seeing is a rapid, often explosive, evolution of events.”
Among those developments is the recently enacted local security agreement in Aleppo’s predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh. On 1 April, Kurdish fighters withdrew from these areas, and local self-defence forces linked to the Autonomous Administration took over, following a deal with the Syrian regime.
“These are densely populated Kurdish areas—home to nearly 700,000 people,” said Avzem. “The agreement preserves their autonomous structure, establishes a joint coordination body, and legitimises local institutions. For the first time in five months, roads into the neighbourhoods have reopened.”
Meanwhile, the Autonomous Administration is also in talks with Damascus on educational reform. A delegation travelled to the Syrian capital on Monday to discuss mutual recognition of diplomas and curriculums in Kurdish areas. Avzem said the provisional deal could mark a turning point: “This suggests that all schools under the Autonomous Administration are now seen as legitimate by the regime.”
But it is the renewed threat of sectarian massacres in western Syria that appears to have raised the most alarm. Avzem said that in coastal cities like Tartus and Latakia, reports of systematic violence against Alawite civilians have emerged, albeit less openly than in the early years of Syria’s civil war. “Then, they used to film and publish everything. Now the brutality is quieter, but still ongoing.”
Avzem noted that Julani’s group, composed of former al-Qaeda affiliates and individuals sanctioned by Europe and the US, continues to hold significant influence in parts of Syria. He warned that these forces, backed by foreign interests, were trying to entrench a “unitary, ultra-centralised state model” that excludes ethnic and religious minorities.
“Julani is attempting to rebrand himself, establishing ties with Turkey and Gulf states to legitimise his rule,” Avzem said. “But this won’t lead to peace or justice for Syria’s peoples. The days ahead will be decisive.”
