Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa announced between 2:46 PM and 3:15 PM UTC on January 18, 2026, that an important statement on ongoing ceasefire agreement talks and the full integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into Syrian state institutions is expected after 18:00 UTC, according to BarracudaVol1 on X. Tribal fighters took control of the Kharrum checkpoint in the western countryside of Hasakah after clashes with Kurdistan Workers' Party members during the same 29-minute period, as reported by omar_alharir on X. The SDF/YPG lost control in the south of Hasakah city, where two of their vehicles were burned in the Nakhswa neighborhood, per BarracudaVol1 on X. The Syrian army launched a new military operation from Tal Abyad, north of Raqqa Governorate, toward SDF positions, according to قناة اخبار درعا و القنيطرة بلحظة on X citing Anatolia. BarracudaVol1 on X reported serious casualties among Syrian army forces at Tishrin, described as the only location of significant SDF resistance. HTS released families of ISIS members from prisons in Raqqa, the former ISIS capital, as stated by RojavaNetwork on X. YPG shared images purporting to show an attack on Syrian army forces at Tishrin Dam, later identified as footage from Pakistan, according to Minevrax on X. These developments follow Syrian army forces gaining access to Raqqa from the west and military police convoys arriving at the outskirts between 2:16 PM and 2:45 PM UTC, as previously reported.
