Syrian Army and Arab tribal forces took control of As-Salhabiye Gharbiye and advanced towards Raqqa city between 8:46 AM and 9:15 AM UTC on January 18, 2026, according to HassounMazen on X. Syrian Arab Army units made great progress inside Tishreen Dam villages through two axes east of Aleppo, as stated by DeirEzzore on X. The 62nd Division, led by Abu Amshe, began advancing towards Tishrin Dam, per BarracudaVol1 on X. Violent battles continued on the Tishreen Dam outskirts between Syrian Arab Army and PKK militants, with preparations underway to complete Raqqa Governorate liberation following control of Tabqa and Euphrates Dam, according to omar_alharir on X. A convoy from the Ministry of Interior's A1 unit entered Tabqa in Raqqa countryside to ensure security and stability, as announced by SANA and reported by AlekhbariahSY on X. These developments follow tribal fighters' capture of SDF headquarters in Jazrat areas east of Raqqa earlier between 8:16 AM and 8:45 AM UTC, per omar_alharir and DeirEzzore on X.
