Syrian Arab Army forces entered Maskanah city east of Aleppo, Syria, this morning after securing Deir Hafir and 14 surrounding villages following Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrawal, according to the Syrian Ministry of Defense and military monitor QalaatAlMudiq, over the past 59 minutes to 9:15 AM UTC on January 17, 2026. The advance follows an agreement under international auspices. The SDF issued a statement accusing Damascus government forces of violating the agreement by entering Deir Hafir and Maskanah before the complete withdrawal of SDF fighters, as posted by the SDF on X within the reporting window. Residents of Deir Hafir began removing SDF flags and slogans from the city entrance and neighborhoods, according to Qasemqt on X. The "Shuaib Al-Zikr" bridge marks the new border separating Syrian state-controlled areas from those held by the SDF, per DeirEzzore on X. A video shared by kurdistannews24 on X showed U.S.-led international coalition convoys with heavy air cover arriving in Deir Hafir after a Turkish drone incident. SDF spokesperson Mahmoud Habib told Al-Hadath that American assurances were received against abandonment in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, as reported by Vvan Wilgenburg on X. SDF chief General Mazloum Abdi is scheduled to meet U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack on Saturday in Erbil, facilitated by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, with Kurds seeking constitutional recognition and self-governance, according to diyarkurda on X. These developments build on the Syrian Arab Army's announcement of full control over Deir Hafir at 8:10 AM UTC, as previously reported.
