The head of the main Kurdish forces told Reuters on Sunday that the US should intervene more forcefully to end a Syrian offensive that has gained key territory from Kurdish fighters in recent days.
Government troops launched an offensive on Saturday into territory run for the last decade by semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities in the northeast of Syria, capturing towns on both sides of the Euphrates River as well as the country's largest oilfield and a gas field, officials and security sources said.
People's Protection Units (YPG) commander Sipan Hamo said at a Saturday meeting between US envoy Tom Barrack and Kurdish officials produced no roadmap to a ceasefire. He denied Syria's Kurds wanted to secede or create an independent state and said their future was in Syria .
“Our greatest hope is that there will be a tangible outcome, especially from the coalition and the United States, meaning that they will intervene more forcefully in the existing problems than what they are currently doing,” Hamo said.
Syrian troops have continued to advance, despite a US Central Command (CENTCOM) call on them to halt.
Hamo said Kurdish authorities recognized that Washington now had to balance its years-long alliance with Kurdish forces, who helped defeat the Islamic State in Syria, with its new found support for Syria's government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
But given Kurdish "concerns about the changes taking place," the US should offer assurances of protection to them.
“In the current situation and the chaos we are living in, the only ones who can offer guarantees are the United States or the coalition,” he added in a rare interview from Hasakeh province, which is still under Kurdish control.
“We believe that the responsibility for everything currently happening inside Syria lies with the Western countries, and especially the United States of America,” Hamo added.
Hamo denied that the YPG was receiving support from Iran or Russia, while suggesting a hope that Israel would intervene on behalf of Syria's Kurds.
“Of course, we consider Israel a powerful state in the region with its own agenda. We hope that the same stance taken by other countries in the region towards certain minorities in Syria will be extended to the Kurds as well,” Hamo said.
Asked if he was referring to Israel's stance towards the Druze minority last summer - when Israel carried out air strikes on the defense ministry, near the presidential palace in Damascus, and on Syrian troops advancing on Druze cities - Hamo said, "of course."
Macron: Must reach permanent ceasefire
France's President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to Sharaa, expressing his concern about the ongoing government offensive against Western-backed Kurdish-led forces.
Macron, whose country has been part of mediation efforts between Damascus and the Kurds, said on Saturday that the offensive needed to stop.
“A permanent ceasefire is necessary, and an agreement must be reached on the integration of the SDF into the Syrian state, on the basis of the exchanges last March,” Macron wrote on X/Twitter.
“The unity and stability of Syria depends on it,” he added.