Syrian army forces reached Hawi al-Hawa in the western vicinity of Raqqa city and took control preparing to enter between 1:46 PM and 2:15 PM UTC on January 18, 2026, while tribal forces captured Tishrin north of Raqqa, the village of Kışla, and Kabş Garbi in the Tishrin region, according to BarracudaVol1 on X. Tribal insurgents clashed with SDF forces inside Raqqa city, confirming the city has not fallen, as reported by Kurdish Front News on Telegram. SDF published scenes of clashes from the vicinity of Tishreen Dam, per رؤى لدراسات الحرب on X. Residents of Jarniyeh southeast of Tishreen Dam called on the Syrian army to save the village, according to BarracudaVol1 on X. Tribal forces reached Al-Thalja village in southern Hasakah countryside, per alsharqia24news on X, and announced control of 13 villages and towns there, as stated by a source in ivarmm on X. Tribal forces imposed control over the entire Al-Shaddadi south of Hasakah, with Syrian army reaching Alwa near Al-Shaddadi and advancing, leaving 50 kilometers to Hasakah center, according to syrianFactCheck on X. PKK/SDF targets were hit on the Ayn Issa line north of Raqqa, per bedbolukbasi on X. The Peace Spring front opened with clashes in Cehbel village on the Ayn Isa line, as posted by BarracudaVol1 on X. More than 45 Iraqis crossed the Euphrates from Hnaida al-Gharbiya to Panjah al-Suwaydiyah, where locals targeted them, according to Zaino Yasser Mahamid on Telegram. Raqqa_SL on X urged protection for unarmed Kurds in Raqqa as neighbors. These developments follow prior clashes in Raqqa neighborhoods, SDF snipers killing civilians, and Abdul Hamid al-Mahbash's defection reported in the previous 29 minutes.
