Syrian forces captured Celebiye, Mebuca, and Abu Hayya on the Tel Abyad side south of Ayn al-Arab between 4:46 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. UTC on Jan. 26, 2026, after SDF forces fled the area following the loss of the Lafarge cement factory, according to X user BarracudaVol1. As night fell during the same period, humanitarian staff from the Aleppo Response Committee loaded row boats with bread to cross the Euphrates River and feed locals in Arab villages besieged by SDF fighters based in and around Kobani, as reported by X user Charles Lister. BarracudaVol1 stated that visual confirmations are ongoing and further details will become clear in the morning, noting that local and Syrian sources reported the SDF abandoning multiple points on the Tel Abyad front. These developments follow the Syrian army's capture of the Lafarge cement factory south of Ayn al-Arab between 4:16 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. UTC earlier, as announced by X user BarracudaVol1 in the prior reporting window.
