Five internal security members in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood blew themselves up today to avoid capture, according to a Rudaw report citing one of their members. Concurrently, Syria's Defense Ministry sent reinforcements including self-propelled 130 mm field guns from Latakia province to the eastern Aleppo front, as reported by Qalaat Al Mudiq over the past hour ending at 3:45 p.m. UTC on January 14, 2026. The suicides occurred amid ongoing clashes, with the source stating the fighters martyred themselves to prevent falling into enemy hands. Yesterday, the Defense Ministry declared all SDF-controlled areas west of the Euphrates a closed military zone and ordered SDF fighters to withdraw, per Qalaat Al Mudiq. An SDF commander rejected the demand, vowing to defend Deir Hafer and Maskana if attacked. Syria's Ministry of Information announced it will broadcast President Ahmed al-Sharaa's interview with Kurdish Shams TV, cancelled by the channel due to political sensitivities in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. Information Minister Hmzh Mo cited the public's right to knowledge, while a ministry statement emphasized al-Sharaa's choice of a Kurdish outlet to affirm Kurds' status and rights beyond organizations.
