Clashes have been reported between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo.

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported on Monday that the SDF launched attacks against security force positions near the Sheihan and Lairmoun roundabouts in Aleppo.

“The Gaziantep-Aleppo road has been closed from the direction of the Lairmoun and Sheihan roundabouts as SDF targets the road,” the news agency said.

The Syrian Civil Defence said two of its rescuers were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in was fired upon by the SDF.

“The vehicle clearly displayed the Civil Defense insignia,” the rescue agency said, adding that the two wounded rescuers were taken to hospital.

The violence comes as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Syria’s capital Damascus for talks on the integration of the SDF into the new Syrian army ahead of a looming deadline.

In March, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal with the SDF, which has controlled a large swath of territory in northeastern Syria, to integrate the group into the country’s state institutions.

But the details of the integration process were left vague and the deal’s implementation has stalled.

Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna said the high-level meeting between the Syrian and Turkish officials was “the catalyst” for Monday’s clashes. “We’ve heard reports of heavy gunfire and even shelling,” he said.

“Previously, Damascus had suggested merging the 50,000 SDF fighters into three divisions, with partial Syrian control. The Turks were really against this and they said they wanted to dismantle the SDF’s existing command structure,” Oghanna explained.

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“The issue of integrating SDF into Syrian government forces is probably the most combustible factor in Syria today. It’s a huge hotspot and it really threatens the national unity of Syria.”

More to come…