Syrian forces fighting Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria have seized the country’s largest oil field.

Officials and monitors say the Omar facility and nearby gas fields are under military control after the withdrawal of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Earlier, the army captured the strategic Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates River.

The move comes after the SDF announced it would redeploy east of the Euphrates River following deadly clashes last week. The withdrawal follows talks with U.S. officials.

The ongoing fighting in the region stems from the breakdown of an agreement between the SDF and the government of President Ahmed Sala, which is seeking to integrate Kurdish groups into Syrian institutions.

In an apparent gesture of goodwill, Sala said on Friday he would make Kurdish the national language and make the Kurdish New Year an official holiday. The decree is the first official recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria’s independence in 1946.

The U.S.-backed Self-Defense Forces later announced Evacuate east of the Euphrates River.

Kurdish forces have long controlled large swathes of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast, much of which they gained during the past decade’s battle against the Islamic State group.

Over the weekend, Syrian forces continued to advance eastward. They entered the town of Tabqa and a nearby dam on the southwestern bank of the Euphrates River on Saturday.

On Sunday, Syrian officials announced they had seized Omar, Syria’s largest oil field on the east bank of the river. The facility has been a major source of revenue for the SDF.

This claim was supported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group. Earlier on Sunday, the SDF had withdrawn from “entire villages and towns in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor” as well as from the Omar and Tanak oil fields, the report said.

Meanwhile, Syrian authorities accused the SDF of blowing up two bridges over the Euphrates River, including the New Rashid Bridge in the city of Raqqa.

According to reports, at least 12 people were killed in clashes between the two sides in the northern city of Aleppo last week.

The latest fighting has occurred despite U.S. attempts to broker a ceasefire. Washington has long supported the SDF but also the Syrian government.

President al-Sharaa has sought to integrate Kurdish military and civilian institutions into Syria’s state institutions after long-time strongman Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power in late 2024.

In March 2025, the SDF signed an agreement with the government. Nearly a year later, the agreement has still not been implemented, with both sides blaming each other.