Dayr Hafir

Dayr Hafir (Arabic: دَيْر حَافِر / ALA-LC: Dayr Ḥāfir, Kurdish: Deyr Hefîr) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Dayr Hafir District and the Aleppo Governorate. It is located 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Aleppo on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway, 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) to the north of Sabkhat al-Jabbul. It is the regional centre of the Dayr Hafir District. In the 2004 official census, the town of Dayr Hafir had a population of 18,948. The town is home to an archeological site dating back to the 9th millennium BC. Dayr Hafir is a rural community in its majority.

Dayr Hafir دير حافر
City
Dayr Hafir is the administrative center of Nahiya Dayr Hafir and Dayr Hafir District.
Dayr Hafir Location in Syria
Coordinates: 36°09′25″N 37°42′28″E
Country	Syria
Governorate	Aleppo
District	Dayr Hafir
Subdistrict	Dayr Hafir
Control	Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
Area
• Total	5.7 km2 (2.2 sq mi)
Elevation	342 m (1,122 ft)
Population  (2013)
• Total	35,409

Syrian Civil War

During the Syrian Civil War, in June 2012, the FSA was reported to be in control of the town. The town came under the control of the Islamic State in early 2014, before being retaken by Syrian Government forces during the Dayr Hafir offensive in 2017.^[1]

Fall of the Assad regime

On 30 November 2024, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of the town amidst the attack on Aleppo and the subsequent withdrawal of pro-Assad forces.^[2] The SDF defended the town against attacks by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and it's affiliated militias during Operation Dawn of Freedom and the East Aleppo offensive.^[3]

See also: SDF–Syrian Transitional Government clashes (2025–present)

After the March 10 Agreement, clashes around Dayr Hafir ceased for a few months. In August 2025 forces of the Syrian transitional government, and the SDF exchanged artillery fire in small skirmishes near the town.^[4]