Syria appoints presidential envoy to implement deal with SDF

ISTANBUL

The Syrian presidency on Saturday appointed a presidential envoy to oversee the implementation of the Jan. 29 agreement with the terrorist organization YPG/SDF, according to state media.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing the presidency’s media directorate, said Brig. Gen. Ziad Al-Ayesh has been assigned to follow up on the accord and facilitate integration under the authority of the Syrian state.

The presidency said the appointment is intended to enhance the presence of state institutions, remove administrative obstacles, and activate public services in areas covered by the agreement.

Al-Ayesh hails from the village of Arjah Al-Jawalah in the countryside of Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, according to Syrian media outlets. He holds a degree in Sharia from Al-Ouzai University in Lebanon and a master’s degree in business administration from Idlib University in northwestern Syria.

Prior to the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, Al-Ayesh headed civil affairs at the Interior Ministry of the Salvation Government in Idlib.

On Jan. 30, the Syrian government announced that it had reached a “comprehensive agreement” with the SDF aimed at ending division in the country and launching a new phase of integration. It said the deal covering the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli and the integration of military forces complements a previous agreement signed on Jan. 18.

The latest agreement followed a military operation by the Syrian Army in which it regained large areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated SDF violations of a March 2025 accord.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref in Istanbul