The Syrian army launched an operation from Madan to Ganim Ali and Ratla in western Raqqa countryside, while large numbers of SDF members and leaders in Tabqa attempted to defect, according to X posts by BarracudaVol1 and syrianFactCheck between 11:46 AM and 12:15 PM UTC on January 17, 2026. Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra urged Syrian Arab Army troops via X to exercise discipline, protect civilians and property, and avoid abuses regardless of nationality or affiliation, in a statement shared by AlekhbariahSY during the same 29-minute period. Syrian FactCheck reported on X that the army is paving the way to fully liberate western Raqqa, as SDF forces mobilized all units in Tabqa in a deployment resembling the Battle of Hama. These developments follow the Syrian army's entry into Debsi Afnan west of Raqqa and declaration of the region west of the Euphrates as a closed military zone earlier on January 17, per prior statements from the army's Operations Authority shared by AlekhbariahSY.
