Tribal forces clashed with SDF at Al-Jazra Junction and Hisham Abdul Malik Street in Raqqa city, responding to SDF ambushes, while capturing Tel Samin north of the city between 12:46 PM and 1:15 PM UTC on January 18, 2026, as Syrian army units advanced west of the Euphrates to Tabqa within kilometers of the city center, according to Zaino Yasser Mahamid on Telegram and Elizrael on X. Zaino Yasser Mahamid reported an SDF ambush at Al-Jazra Junction in central Raqqa with Syrian army response, alongside clashes on Hisham Abdul Malik Street in the southern part of the city, per Elizrael. Tribal fighters moved toward Ras al-Ayn against PKK militias, as stated by omar_alharir on X. Syrian army forces positioned along the M4 highway to block routes to Hasakah and Qamishli, with preparations underway on Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ayn, and Ayn Isa lines in the Peace Spring region, according to HussamHamoud and BarracudaVol1 on X. Capture of Tel Samin places tribal forces 20 kilometers from the Peace Spring zone, per leventkemaI on X. Residents removed images of Abdullah Öcalan from Raqqa streets and welcomed Syrian army after liberations, according to QUSAY_NOOR_ on X. SDF spokesperson announced forces thwarted ISIS cell attacks in Raqqa city and continued combing operations, as posted by SDF_Syria on X. Activists expressed fears for detainees at al-Aqtan Prison north of Raqqa, including UN employee Abdullah al-Darbouk, amid clashes, per Elizrael. EekadFacts on X noted Syrian army control expansions since yesterday in Aleppo countryside including Deir Hafer and Maskanah, extending to Raqqa west of the Euphrates. These developments follow a Raqqa delegation's arrival in Damascus earlier to hand over the city and tribal liberations of Al-Asadiyah farm and Naim junction, as previously reported.
