Syrian Arab Army forces took control of Tabqa city and Tishreen Dam in Raqqa western countryside, 5 km from Raqqa city, between 10:46 PM and 11:45 PM UTC on January 17, 2026, as SDF forces fled after reportedly executing prisoners in Tabqa prison, according to Jamil_Alhasaan and BarracudaVol1 on X. SDF targeted Tabqa city neighborhoods with heavy artillery, per Furat_Post on X, while huge SDF military reinforcements headed to fighting axes around Tabqa, as reported by ALMIHWAR NEWS on X. Nahr_Media correspondent stated tribal fighters launched attacks with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades on SDF headquarters in Sousa town east of Deir ez-Zor amid violent clashes, according to DeirEzzore on X. Arab tribal forces captured PKK/SDF elements and checkpoints in Hasham town east of the Euphrates, per bedbolukbasi on X. Zaino Yasser Mahameed reported on X scenes of Syrian army crossing the eastern Euphrates bank from Deir ez-Zor and tribesmen arriving from the Levant to support brothers on the island. SDF forces announced arresting three individuals who fired on civilian homes in Tabqa and restoring security, as stated in an official update on X. Reports indicated SDF bombed Deir ez-Zor residential neighborhoods with mortar shells, according to رؤى لدراسات الحرب on X. These developments follow Syrian army advances including seizure of Gharanij, Al-Maqs southern entrance, Kesrat Faraj, and Mansoura Dam earlier on January 17 west and south of Raqqa city, per previous reports from Raqqa_SL, BarracudaVol1, and SANA, alongside Deir ez-Zor tribal mobilizations against SDF as noted by mintelworld and DeirEzzore on X.
