20 January 2026
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command: We are monitoring the SDF's implementation of the announced decision, and we are prepared for all scenarios.
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command told Al-Ikhbariya that the SDF will not be targeted during its withdrawal.
Ministry of Defense of Syria: We welcome the decision of the SDF to withdraw from the contact lines west of the Euphrates. We affirm that we will closely monitor the completion of this withdrawal to the east of the Euphrates, in parallel with the deployment of the Syrian Army in those areas to secure them and impose state sovereignty to ensure the return of residents and state institutions.
A source told Syria TV that shelling of the locations identified by the military operations command has been halted pending the implementation of the SDF's decision to withdraw.
Some SDF vehicles, including cars and tanks, withdrew from Deir Hafer, coinciding with a cessation of shelling and clashes.
Mazlum Abdi: “We have decided to withdraw our forces tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM from the current contact zones east of Aleppo towards redeployment in areas east of the Euphrates.”
Democratic Union Party (PYD) leader Saleh Muslim stated in media remarks: "The presidential decree concerning the Kurds is a good initiative, but it is insufficient. Kurdish rights must be enshrined in the Syrian constitution, not by presidential decree. We demand constitutional rights, not a presidential decree that can be revoked. The presidential decree regarding Kurdish rights is merely a smokescreen. The Turkish side is the one that thwarted the March agreement. The American envoy is not pressuring us but rather trying to de-escalate the situation."
Clashes involving various types of weapons are taking place between the Syrian Army and SDF forces on the Deir Hafer front, east of Aleppo. Footage circulating online shows the Syrian Army launching operations against the SDF in Deir Hafer, east of Aleppo3 day ago
Clashes involving various types of weapons are taking place between the Syrian Army and SDF forces on the Deir Hafer front, east of Aleppo. Footage circulating online shows the Syrian Army launching operations against the SDF in Deir Hafer, east of Aleppo
The Syrian army is sending more reinforcements towards the town of Deir Hafer in the Aleppo countryside.
The Syrian Army continues shelling Deir Hafir.
SDF militias placing heavy machine guns among civilian homes in the village of Darra, and targeting Syrian army positions in the village of Habouba in the eastern Aleppo countryside.
Sounds of shelling on SDF military positions in Deir Hafer
Syrian army is targeting SDF positions in Deir Hafer, which it had previously identified on maps.
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command: Our response has begun against the positions of the SDF militias and remnants of the former regime, allied with the SDF, in the city of Deir Hafer, which were announced a short while ago. The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command: These positions are considered military bases for the SDF and its allies, from which attacks were launched.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued Decree No. (13) of 2026, which affirms that Syrian Kurdish citizens are an essential and integral part of the Syrian people, and that their cultural and linguistic identity is an inseparable part of the diverse and unified Syrian national identity.
The Syrian army targets SDF positions in Deir Hafer, east of Aleppo.
SDF: The city of Deir Hafer is currently coming under intense artillery shelling carried out by Damascus-affiliated factions, amid an escalation in the intensity of the attacks
34 members of the SDF/PKK organization defected a short while ago on the Tishrin Dam front east of Aleppo. Most of them are from Raqqa and Hasakah.
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command published a map of site number 4 in Deir Hafer and issued a warning to residents via SANA, stating: "We urge our civilian population to stay away from this site, which is being used by PKK militias and remnants of the former regime, allies of the SDF, as a launching point for their operations towards the city of Aleppo and its eastern countryside, and as a base for launching drones."
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command published a map of site number 3 in Deir Hafer
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command published a map of site number 1 in Deir Hafer and issued a warning to residents via SANA, stating: "We urge our civilian population to stay away from this site, which is being used by PKK militias and remnants of the former regime, allies of the SDF, as a launching point for their operations towards the city of Aleppo and its countryside."
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Command published a map of site number 2 in Deir Hafer
Spokesperson for the Central Command: US forces have arrived in Deir Hafer in Syria to assess the situation on the ground. We are holding talks with our Syrian partners and seeking to establish stability in Deir Hafer. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and a stable Syria is vital for maintaining peace in the region
Sources told Middle East Eye that the SDF rejected a US request to withdraw from the western bank of the Euphrates River and its last remaining presence in the eastern Aleppo countryside.
The Syrian Army: We have observed the arrival of Bahoz Ordal, a PKK leader, in Tabqa, Raqqa countryside. The SDF and PKK militias have brought a large number of Iranian drones into the eastern Aleppo countryside. We have observed the arrival of new groups of PKK militias and remnants of the regime in Tabqa, to be transported to Deir Hafer and Maskana. We will not allow the remnants of the defunct regime and the cross-border militants coming from Qandil to destabilize Syria.3 day ago
The Syrian Army: We have observed the arrival of Bahoz Ordal, a PKK leader, in Tabqa, Raqqa countryside. The SDF and PKK militias have brought a large number of Iranian drones into the eastern Aleppo countryside. We have observed the arrival of new groups of PKK militias and remnants of the regime in Tabqa, to be transported to Deir Hafer and Maskana. We will not allow the remnants of the defunct regime and the cross-border militants coming from Qandil to destabilize Syria.
Al-Sharaa signed a presidential decree with key points for the protection of Kurdish population & their rights: - protection of Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights by the State; - Kurdish language is a national language; - Syrian citizenship granted to all Kurdish people residing in Syria; - Nowruz is a holiday; - prohibition of discrimination and criminalization of incitement by law.
Director of Media and Communication at the Ministry of Defense, Assem Ghalyoun: Reports circulating about a Ministry of Defense delegation entering the city of Deir Hafer, east of Aleppo, are false
A child was killed and another injured as a result of a landmine explosion left behind by the former regime in the village of Al-Baraghithi, east of Idlib
Reuters, citing informed sources: The Syrian army is preparing to attack the SDF in areas of northern and eastern Syria. Five army divisions may participate in the attack on the SDF in the Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor countryside. Washington has not expressed explicit opposition to a limited operation by Syrian forces. The United States is not doing enough to prevent a military clash.
Before the Syrian Arab Army's deadline for the SDF elements expired, an international coalition patrol left the town of Deir Hafer, east of Aleppo.
The SDF and Coalition meeting in Deir Hafir has concluded. The meeting was attended by YPJ General Command Member Rojhilat Efrîn, SDF General Command Member Çiya Kobane and Coalition Commanders - Ronahi TV
Israeli force consisting of eight military vehicles and three tanks advanced from the direction of Tel al-Ahmar to the west, towards the villages of Ain al-Ziwan and Suwaisa.
The Syrian army shot down a drone belonging to the SDF on the Deir Hafer axis, east of Aleppo, as it attempted to target army positions
The Syrian Army Operations Command: We announce the opening of the door for defection for SDF members, both Arabs and Kurds, by heading to the nearest army point.
American warplanes flew over the town of Dibsi Afnan in the western Raqqa countryside, coinciding with the passage of an American patrol consisting of several armored vehicles on the Aleppo-Raqqa road, heading west towards Maskana and Deir Hafer.
The German government spokesperson stated that Chancellor Friedrich Merz will discuss several issues with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Berlin next Tuesday, including the return of Syrian refugees to their country.
Deir Hafer District Administration: Civilians continue to flee via unsafe secondary roads to areas under Syrian government control due to the SDF's continued obstruction of residents' use of the humanitarian corridor announced by the Syrian Arab Army's Operations Command. More than 4,000 civilians have been recorded leaving through a single exit point. The district's Social Affairs Office is working to register their data, direct them to designated shelters, and provide them with basic necessities
Syrian Observatory Lens: A second convoy of the International Coalition arrives in Raqqa under air cover
The Syrian Army has deployed troops to the Meskene region south of Manbij.
The evacuation of civilians from Deir Hafir continues intermittently.
Turkish warplanes in the skies over the region, in Ain Issa
A US patrol left the city of Raqqa, passing through the village of Al-Kasrat, heading towards Deir Hafer.
Helicopter activity in the skies over Raqqa coincided with a heavy deployment of checkpoints in the city.
The SDF is preventing civilians from leaving the area declared a military zone by the army's operations command in the eastern Aleppo countryside for the second day in a row.
Turkish Minister of Defence Yaşar Güler met with Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria3 day ago
Turkish Minister of Defence Yaşar Güler met with Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria
The Syrian army is shelling positions of the SDF in Deir Hafer, coinciding with heavy drone activity.
Turkish military reinforcements entered the city of Manbij a short while ago and headed towards the Tishrin Dam.
Syrian Ministry of Defense's Media and Communications Department: A number of SDF fighters surrendered their weapons and defected from the organization on the Deir Hafer front, east of Aleppo. The Ministry of Defense's Media and Communications Department: Syrian Arab Army forces secured the defectors upon their arrival at army deployment points.
Tonight, the Defense Ministry is contacting residents still in Deir Hafer and Maskana (East Aleppo) via SMS. The messages urge civilians to stay away from SDF positions while others provide details on the evacuation corridor
Deir ez-Zor, eastern countryside: Tribal fighters target a military point of the SDF in the Al-Aliyat area near the banks of the Euphrates River in the town of Al-Susah with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
The Syrian Arab Army Operations Authority told SANA: Any site that obstructs the passage of civilians will be targeted in an appropriate manner.
SDF Military Statement: In the context of the ongoing military escalation in the Deir Hafer region by Damascus factions, Turkish (Akinci) drones are participating in monitoring and carrying out airstrikes targeting the area. One of the (Akinci) drones was spotted in the skies over over Deir Hafer this afternoon, carrying missiles. These drones have conducted more than six airstrikes targeting various areas in Deir Hafer and Maskana over the past two days.