Syrian Arab Army units began entering Tabqa city between 6:16 PM and 6:45 PM UTC on January 17, 2026, where residents welcomed soldiers, while capturing Sebha village and reaching the outskirts of Raqqa's southern entrance Al-Maqs after controlling Al-Akirshi in Raqqa countryside, according to BarracudaVol1 and Raqqa_SL on X. Army forces advanced into Al-Delha and headed toward Kediran Dam after securing Mansoura west of Raqqa, as reported by BarracudaVol1 and Raqqa_SL on X during the period. Tribal forces announced complete capture of Süveydiye village, per BarracudaVol1 citing local claims on X. A Kurdistan Workers' Party convoy fled Tabqa city toward Hasaka under Syrian army strikes, according to omar_alharir on X. YPG fighters clashed in Tabqa city center while chanting for PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, as stated by mintelworld on X. These developments follow Syrian army entries into Tabqa from multiple fronts and encirclement of PKK at Tabqa airport earlier on January 17, as previously reported citing the army's Operations Authority via Qasemqt and BarracudaVol1.
