Miqdad Ismail, a former Assad regime fighter from Latakia province, was identified among reinforcements sent to SDF-held areas on the Deir Hafir axis in the eastern Aleppo countryside over the past hour between 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. UTC on January 14, 2026, according to a post on X by @QalaatAlMudiq. Video recordings showed Ismail in a joint convoy with regime remnants and SDF militia stating plans to head to the Syrian coast. Ismail praised the "Alawite-Kurdish alliance" against the government, as noted in the X post, which cited Time_of_Al-Wasl reporting that members of regime remnants and SDF militia are stationed on the Deir Hafir front. Ismail moved to SDF-held areas following Assad's fall, per the source. Separately, UAVs struck three points belonging to YPG/SDF on the Deir Hafir line during the same period, according to a post on X by @huseyinbozan. This development follows Syrian Arab Army reinforcements from Latakia to the Deir Hafer front reported earlier this morning between 8:46 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. UTC, as stated by @omar_alharir on X, building on convoys with heavy weapons entering rural east Aleppo between 6:15 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. UTC per @Al7khalidi.
