The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria declared general mobilization across the region between 7:46 AM and 8:15 AM UTC on January 18, 2026, urging all residents, especially young men and women, to arm themselves against possible attacks on Kobani and the Jazira region, according to posts by Rojava Gündemi and Wolveri07681751 on X. In the same period, Syrian Arab Army units entered the areas of Al-Harijiyah Al-Sur heading towards Markada and Al-Shaddadi in the Hasakah countryside, as reported by BarracudaVol1 on X. Clans took control of the SDF operations headquarters in the Markada district south of Hasakah, per Wolveri07681751 on X. The Syrian Arab Army established control over all areas west of the Euphrates, enabling the reopening of the Deir ez-Zor to Aleppo road after years of closure, according to omar_alharir on X. BarracudaVol1 stated that tribal forces control a site referred to as 'the brand' in Deir ez-Zor. BarracudaVol1 also reported that a new front will open against Raqqa city from the Peace Spring area and that the Tishrin front may open in coming hours. These developments follow SDF/YPG withdrawal from Deir ez-Zor oil fields between 7:16 AM and 7:45 AM UTC earlier today, allowing Syrian army and tribal fighters to enter the sites, as previously noted by the same sources.
