On 15 September, relations between the two sides took a turn for the worse, as Syria's foreign ministry described SDF forces as "separatist terrorist militias" in a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General. The letter further accused the group of operating in "schemes", which it alleged were masterminded by the United States and Israel, as well as engaging in "crimes of the international coalition against the Syrian people". The SDF press office firmly condemned the statement, which it deemed an attempt by the Syrian government to "mislead the world public opinion and the United Nations organization by making false accusations" against the group. It also described what it deemed to be "miserable attempts" to "create sedition" within the territories controlled by the SDF. The statement concluded by urging Syria's Foreign Ministry to cease its "hostilities" and renew dialogue with the NES and SDF.
