Nearby localities include Azaz to the north, Mare' to the east, Kafr Naya to the south, Deir Jmal and Oqayba to the southwest and Ibbin Samaan to the west.

Tell Rifaat was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces on 16 February 2016 after heavy Russian air strikes which destroyed all three health facilities in the town.

Following this, government authorities in the town were replaced by a council made up of local Islamic scholars, judges and former Syrian Army officers, ruling in the basis of Sharia.

[12] On 8 August 2012, Tell Rifaat was bombed by the Syrian Air Force, resulting in the deaths of 6 people, all members of the Blaw family.

[18] Russian airstrikes, which preceded the SDF assault, forced the majority of the population to escape towards rebel-controlled territories or across the border north into Turkey.

[20] After the Turkish Army and allied rebel groups captured Afrin during Operation Olive Branch, displaced residents of Tel Rifaat rallied in Azaz to demand the expulsion of the SDF from the town.

The town, previously controlled by Kurdish forces and later seized by Turkish-backed rebels, is now characterized by widespread ruins and a complex network of underground military tunnels.

These tunnels, constructed beneath homes and public buildings, have compromised structural integrity, complicating reconstruction efforts.

Despite poor infrastructure, the resilient residents of Tel Rifaat are diligently clearing debris and striving to rebuild their lives.