Damascus Gains Ground as Syria-Turkey Accord Reshapes the SDF

A Turkey-brokered deal between Damascus and the US-backed SDF would dissolve the group’s autonomous status by integrating its fighters into Syria’s defense and interior ministries after vetting, return control of eastern oil and gas fields to Damascus, move Hasakah’s institutions under central authority, hand border crossings to the Syrian army, and require expulsion of non-Syrian PKK members. If fully implemented, the accord would satisfy Ankara’s security demands, curb the SDF’s autonomy, and potentially unlock progress in Turkey’s peace talks with the PKK, while shifting regional dynamics and reducing Israeli influence over the SDF.