Syrian government forces have continued to press their offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces over the last day of fighting in Syria.
Overnight on January 17 and 18, there were major changes on the ground as Arab tribal fighters claimed to seize control of a number of villages and two oil fields on the eastern side of the Euphrates River. This essentially pushes the SDF out of an area the SDF has held since around 2018.
The SDF is backed by the US Central Command. The US has worked with the SDF since 2015 to fight ISIS. Since the fall of Assad, the US has also worked with the new Syrian government.
The current crisis began in early January when the Syrian government laid siege to two Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo. After pushing Kurdish security forces out of the neighborhoods, the Syrian government set its eyes on a sliver of land near an area called Dayr Hafir west of the Euphrates River. This area has been held by the SDF since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. It is linked via a road held by the SDF to the town of Tabqa on the Euphrates, the site of a strategic dam that the US and SDF seized in 2017 from ISIS.
The SDF agreed on Friday, January 16, to withdraw from Dayr Hafir. However, on January 17, the SDF accused the Syrian government forces of rapidly moving into areas near Tabqa, violating the withdrawal agreement that was supposed to take place more slowly. By the evening of January 17, the Syrian government forces were moving toward Tabqa, and US Central Command was calling for de-escalation.
The big question came overnight for Damascus. While some American members of Congress have called on Damascus to stop its attacks, it appears that the Syrian transitional government of Ahmed al-Shara’a feels emboldened. Damascus is backed by Turkey and other governments in the region. Israeli officials view the new authorities in Damascus with suspicion, often labelling Shara’a a “jihadist.”
On January 17, there were meetings in Erbil between the Kurdish leadership of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government and the US. Kurdish officials in northern Iraq are concerned about the pressure being put on the SDF. They don’t want to see Kurds harmed in Syria. Syria’s government has meanwhile sought to allay fears by claiming that it supports Kurds.
France24 noted that “Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday declared Kurdish one of the country's national languages in the wake of recent clashes between the army and Kurdish forces in Aleppo. Kurds in north Syria have declined to integrate into the State calling instead for a decentralised federal system, which Damascus rejects.” Syria’s state media SANA calls the move by Damascus historic.
As Damascus did outreach to the Kurdish minority, the Damascus-backed security forces pressed their offensive. This gives the perception that Damascus is offering Kurds rights while trying to make it clear that the SDF can no longer represent Kurds in Syria as an independent armed group. In March 2025, Shara’a met SDF leader Mazlum Abdi in Damascus and discussed a roadmap for integrating the SDF. These talks have not led to integration, and Damascus is now trying to show it will give the SDF a fait accompli.
Syrian state media accuses the SDF of blowing up bridges along the Euphrates. Syrian forces took control of Tabqa airport, SANA says. It says that the Syrian forces expelled the PKK from the area, a reference to the Kurdish Workers Party, which Turkey and other countries view as terrorists. For years, Turkey has alleged the SDF is linked to the PKK. Damascus is now using this language to justify attacks on the SDF. Damascus has also accused the SDF of executing prisoners in Tabqa. The SDF has denied this.
SDF declares major mobilization in 'existential war'
The SDF has now declared a major mobilization amid losses along the Euphrates. The area along the Euphrates is dominated by Arab tribes.
“The Kurdish-led administration of northeast Syria (Rojava) on Sunday announced a state of ‘general mobilization’ in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), citing what it described as ‘an existential war’ waged by Damascus and affiliated militant groups in violation of an internationally mediated truce,” Kurdish media outlet Rudaw reported.
Concerns are growing about the clashes in Syria. “French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that the Syrian army must ‘immediately’ halt attacks on Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), warning that his country and the European Union cannot support the current approach taken by the interim government in Damascus,” Rudaw wrote.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria believes that Damascus has chosen conflict as the path forward. Meanwhile, this pivotal day in Syria is unfolding quickly. Al-Ain news says the Syrian army is only five kilometers from Raqqa. Raqqa is a mostly Arab city that was the ISIS capital in Syria until the SDF liberated it in 2017. At the time, Turkey opposed the SDF taking Raqqa and wanted a coalition of Arab forces to do it. Since then, many of the Arab tribes have chafed under SDF control along the Euphrates. The SDF has tried outreach, recruiting Arabs, and working with some tribes.
Syrian forces now appear to also be retaking several oil fields. “The Syrian Petroleum Company said that the nearby oilfields of Rasafa and Sufyan had been captured by Syrian troops and could now be brought back online,” Arab News noted. Ruslan Trad, who follows Syria and other defense topics, noted on X “Syrian government forces have taken control of both the Al Omar oil field and the Koniko (Conoco) gas field from the SDF. Syrian troops seized the Al Omar oil field, Syria's largest, on Saturday, January 17-18, along with the Conoco gas field in the eastern part of the country.”
The SDF appears to believe it faces a major offensive involving the Syrian government’s forces and also local Arab tribes and other groups. Wladamir van Wilgenburg, an expert on Syria and Iraq, especially on Kurdish issues, wrote in a thread on X that Damascus has been meeting with various tribes and preparing the current offensive over the last few months. It has worked with the Baqqara and Akaidat tribes, for instance.
He also mentions other tribes in the Euphrates River valley and their different positions, such as the Shammar tribe, which has been closer to the SDF and to Kurdish leaders in Erbil, Iraq, and the Sharabia tribe, which he describes as rivals of the Shammar. He also mentions the Tayy tribe, which “had ties with Iran/NDF/Syrian government.” He notes, “Moreover, it remains unclear how the Shammar, Tay, and Jubbour tribes in Hasakah will position themselves. They could support for pro-Damascus sleeper cells in Hasakah, which would threaten Kurdish core areas in Hasakah and cut off supply lines.”
As the battle develops, much is at stake in eastern Syria.