Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said that they are keen not to allow any transgression or abuse against any person, regardless of his nationality or affiliation.
Meanwhile, a Syrian military source said that there are large army military reinforcements in the Maadan area in the southeastern countryside of Raqqa, as the army begins military action in the Maadan area in the eastern Raqqa countryside, while the military operation targets SDF positions in Ratla and Ghanem al-Ali in the eastern Raqqa countryside.
For its part, the SDF reported the imposition of a total curfew in the Tabqa area in the Raqqa countryside, at a time when the sound of bombing was heard in the Raqqa countryside near the Debsi Afnan area.
The Syrian Army Operations Authority said: We took control of the Safyan oil field, the Rusafa complex, and the Al-Thawra field near the city of Tabqa.
The Syrian army announced its control of the city of Deir Hafer in the eastern countryside of Aleppo after the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters. The Syrian army said it was entering the areas east of Aleppo after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces.
The Syrian army announced today, Saturday (January 17, 2026), that its forces began entering areas located east of the city of Aleppo, the day after the Kurdish forces announced their agreement to withdraw from it following clashes between the two sides.
A statement broadcast on official Syrian television said, “The vanguard of the Syrian Arab Army forces began to enter the area west of the Euphrates, starting with the city of Deir Hafer.”
The Syrian army had called on civilians not to enter the city of Deir Hafer in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, amid calm in the city before the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday morning.
On the line of disagreements between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the issuance of a special decree guaranteeing the rights and privacy of the Kurds.
