Syrian Government and Kurds Agree on Integration Deal
The Syrian government and Kurdish forces agreed to a ceasefire that outlines a phased plan to absorb Kurdish fighters into state institutions, garnering praise from the United States; the deal follows recent advances by Damascus this month, which pushed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces back into a reduced northeastern enclave (Reuters)
Putin Hosts Al-Sharaa
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Kremlin to discuss Moscow’s future military presence in Syria (Reuters)
Syria Seeks U.S.-Backed Talks With SDF as Tensions Persist
The Syrian government said it plans to hold a new round of U.S-backed talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to define how the group will merge into the central state following a January 18 integration deal (Reuters)
In Qamishli, Kurdish residents have organized nighttime volunteer patrols as government forces press closer, underscoring fears despite a ceasefire and continued negotiations (Reuters)
Russia Begins Withdrawing From Qamishli Airport
Russian forces have begun evacuating equipment and personnel from bases around Qamishli airport in northeast Syria as Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces territory shrinks (AP)
Russian troops started a gradual withdrawal last week, transferring forces and heavy equipment from the airport to the Hmeimim air base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, Syrian sources said (Reuters)
Damascus Extends Truce With SDF
Syria’s military and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces extended a truce that was set to expire on Saturday, both parties said; the Syrian defense ministry said the extension will last fifteen days and facilitate a U.S. operation to transfer prisoners linked to the self-declared Islamic State from Syria to Iraq (AP)
UN Role in Syria
The United Nations is assuming responsibility for large refugee and detention camps in northeast Syria that were previously guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a senior UN official said; the SDF retreated from the area this week amid an armed offensive by Syria’s government, which aims to integrate SDF forces into its own (Reuters)
Detainee Transfer From Syria
The U.S. military began transferring detainees linked to the self-declared Islamic State from Syria to Iraq, U.S. Central Command said in a statement; the announcement said 150 detainees had already been transported to Iraqi-controlled facilities, with up to 7,000 in total eligible for transfers (CENTCOM)
The move comes after dozens of detainees escaped from a Syrian prison in recent days during clashes between government forces and Kurdish rebels (WaPo)
ISIS Detainees Escape Prison
Syria’s interior ministry said today that around 120 detainees had escaped and at least 81 had been recaptured, while a Kurdish website reported that roughly 1,500 had escaped; each side blamed the other for the incident (Al Jazeera)
The renewed clashes are testing a freshly-minted truce between Syria’s military and Kurdish forces; they had announced a truce and plans to merge on Sunday, following a Syrian military offensive against the Kurdish group (NYT)
The Syrian government gave Kurdish forces a four-day deadline to accept the integration offer (Reuters)
The U.S. special envoy for Syria urged Kurdish forces to accept the integration deal in a social media post; he wrote that the U.S. military partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces was less necessary now that the new Syrian government has committed to fighting the self-declared Islamic State (X)
U.S. Carries Out Large Scale Strikes Against ISIS
U.S. Central Command said they were part of continued retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. and Syrian forces last month (CENTCOM)
Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, the U.S. and Jordanian militaries have worked with the new Syrian government to target the remnants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (NYT)
Clashes in Aleppo
Syria’s military declared a ceasefire today in three neighborhoods of Aleppo, after fighting with Kurdish forces displaced an estimated 140,000 people in recent days, per Syrian authorities (Reuters)
The clashes broke out despite efforts over the past year to integrate the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces into the country’s military (CFR)
The Trump administration is “working extensively” to extend the truce, its special envoy for Syria wrote on social media (X)
Israel-Syria Security Channel
The two countries agreed to establish an intelligence sharing and military de-escalation channel during U.S.-mediated talks in Paris (State Department)
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the arrival of the current Ahmed al-Sharaa government, citing security concerns, even as Washington has urged the countries to reconcile (NYT)
British, French Strikes on ISIS
The two countries bombed an Islamic State weapons facility in Syria, the British foreign ministry announced (UKG)
The strikes follow dozens of U.S. attacks against ISIS targets in Syria in December, retaliation for the ISIS killing of U.S. service members (CENTCOM;X)
U.S. Defense Bill Removes Congressional Sanctions on Syria
The U.S. Senate passed an annual defense bill that removes congressional sanctions on the Syrian government applied in 2019 to support the country’s reconstruction following the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad (AP)
U.S. Troops Killed in Syria
Trump pledged “very serious retaliation” on social media after two U.S. service members and one American civilian interpreter were killed in Syria; he wrote that the self-declared Islamic State was responsible and that the attack occurred in a part of the country not fully controlled by the Syrian government (Truth Social)
Three other U.S. service members and two members of Syrian security forces were also wounded; a spokesperson for Syria’s Interior Ministry said the gunman, who was killed during the attack, had been part of the government’s security forces (NYT)
Israeli Druze Leader Urges U.S. Protection of Syrian Druze
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif argued that such intervention was necessary to reduce the need for Israeli intervention to safeguard minority communities, following deadly clashes in Sweida this summer; he called for a model of internal autonomy for the Druze community (Reuters)
Shelling in Damascus
Shells landed near the Mezzah military airport, per Syria’s state news agency, following reports of explosions; no culprit has been identified, though Damascus has recently faced similar artillery attacks (Anadolu Agency)
Syria Marks One Year Since Assad’s Fall
Crowds rallied across Damascus, Aleppo, and other cities to commemorate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa touted a “promising future,” although Syria continues to grapple with political and economic hurdles (BBC)
In Washington, the U.S. Congress passed a defense spending bill that included a repeal of the Caesar sanctions, which were widely viewed as an obstacle to Syrian reconstruction (Reuters)
U.S. Military Praises Syria’s Anti-Hezbollah Measures
The U.S. Central Command issued a statement congratulating Syrian security forces for intercepting several weapons shipments being smuggled to Hezbollah through Syrian territory, as the United States increases coordination with Damascus in countering Iranian proxies (X)
In Ottawa, meanwhile, officials removed Syria from Canada’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, as Damascus continues pushing for international relief (Al Jazeera)
Finally, a Reuters investigation revealed that former Assad intelligence chief Kamal Hassan and billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf are each financing tens of thousands of prospective Alawite fighters from exile in Moscow, competing to control a network of underground command rooms and weapons stockpiles left from Assad’s final days; both men aim to incite uprisings along Syria’s coast to restore their influence, although their efforts remain disorganized and underfunded, diminishing the plotters’ prospects (Reuters)
Landmark UN Security Council Visit to Syria
All fifteen members of the Security Council traveled to Damascus for the council’s first-ever visit to Syria, signaling international re-engagement following Assad’s ouster last year; the delegation met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and civil society figures to discuss accountability, reconstruction, and national reconciliation (AP)
Additionally, Visa will begin operating in Syria as the country’s economic reconstruction progresses, the company and Syrian central bank governor Abdulkader Husrieh announced; Husrieh said Damascus aimed to make Syria a financial hub for the region (Reuters)
The International Monetary Fund pledged to assist with building out its financial system following a staff visit to the country last month (Reuters)
EU Revises Asylum Policy for Syrians
The new guidance reflects changes inside Syria, concluding that some former risk groups may no longer face persecution while warning that minorities and former regime affiliates remain vulnerable; the revision could affect asylum outcomes for more than 100,000 pending cases (AP)
Syria’s Central Bank head said that the return of refugees has helped economic activity rebound at a faster pace than international forecasts; he also discussed plans to introduce a redesigned Syrian currency and overhaul deficit financing as part of reintegration into the global financial system (Reuters)
Netanyahu Signals Openness to Arrangement With Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that an understanding would require the creation of a broad demilitarized belt extending toward Mount Hermon; his remarks follow public concerns from the Trump administration that Israel’s continued military activity inside Syria is undermining the country’s economic and political rehabilitation (Reuters)
Joint U.S.-Syrian Operations Against the Islamic State
The U.S. military said the operations eliminated multiple arms depots linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State around Damascus, as Washington signals continued security cooperation with the Sharaa administration and weighs further sanctions repeals (Reuters)
Amnesty International Calls for Further Reforms in Syria
The group’s secretary-general said that the Sharaa regime has taken initial steps toward accountability and legal reform but has not yet established meaningful democratic structures; she also urged foreign governments to investigate recent abuses, warning that Syria’s transition risks stalling without outside backing (AP)
Clashes in Alawite Latakia
Hundreds from the Alawite community gathered in a rare protest to demand a more decentralized political system and the release of detainees, prompting government supporters to hold a counter-protest that escalated into gunfire in one of the city’s main squares; Syrian security forces fired warning shots in response (Jerusalem Post)
Sectarian Clashes in Homs
Members of the Bani Khaled tribe attacked an Alawite-majority neighborhood following the killing of a Bedouin husband and wife in the village of Zaidal, injuring multiple people and killing at least two; security forces later imposed a curfew and initiated investigations (AP)