The Syrian army declared a “closed military zone” east of Aleppo on Tuesday as tensions with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces flared anew, with the SDF and a war monitor reporting government shelling in the area despite an earlier ceasefire.

What happened: The zone stretches between the towns of Dayr Hafir, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Aleppo, and Maskanah, a further 38 kilometers (24 miles) to the southeast. The military said the move was prompted by alleged mobilization by the SDF, as well as what it described as “PKK terrorists and remnants of the deposed regime [of Bashar al-Assad] in the area,” according to state media.

The Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, is a Kurdish militant group based in Turkey. The SDF acknowledges ideological ties to the group but has long denied allegations that it operates as the PKK’s Syrian branch. 

The Syrian military alleged that opposing forces had used the area to launch drones at Aleppo during recent fighting between the army and the SDF, urging civilians to stay away and calling on armed groups to withdraw, according to SANA. The SDF previously denied the government claim that it had conducted a drone attack on Aleppo on Saturday.