The Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo, particularly the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, have been witnessing heavy shelling carried out by the forces of the Interim Authority since Tuesday, 6 January 2026. The intensity of the shelling escalated on the morning of today, Thursday, 8 January 2026, coinciding with the publication by the forces of the Interim Authority of maps that include residential locations in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood that were designated as targets for shelling, under the claim that shelling operations were launched from them against the neighborhoods and residents of the city of Aleppo by the “Syrian Democratic Forces.”
“Rights Monitor,” Human Rights Monitor platform in Syria, obtained shocking footage and images documenting the effects of the shelling carried out by the forces of the Transitional Authority led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham against the Kurdish neighborhoods, with the note that the materials available and published below include harsh scenes.
This military escalation comes amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions, in the aftermath of a tight siege imposed by the forces of the Interim Authority on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods since September 2025, during which there were repeated military attacks and widespread violations affecting the civilian population and the basic components of their lives. The siege has included preventing the entry of basic materials, imposing checkpoints and strict inspection measures, in addition to restricting the movement of residents toward the rest of the neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo, which has negatively affected humanitarian and service conditions, particularly in the education and heating sectors.
