WEEKLY UPDATE - 01.23.2026

Syrian Government Forces Tighten Grip on East as SDF Collapses

Syrian government forces continued to advance across eastern Syria as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) lost most of its territory. Under growing pressure from the US and suffering a string of military defeats and defections, the SDF accepted a deal on Tuesday that would merge its forces in the Syrian military. Clashes between the SDF and Syrian government forces erupted two-weeks ago as frustration over stalled negotiation boiled over into fighting. According to multiple reports, Mazloum Abdi and Syria’s Kurdish leadership pushed for Kurdish autonomy in eastern Syria confident in its alliances with the US and Israel. The SDF’s hardline positions contributed to the loss of support from Washington and in the end, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa got almost everything he wanted in the deal.

The latest fighting in eastern Syria and the degradation of the SDF contributed to growing chaos in the region raising concerns surrounding the detention of thousands of ISIS prisoners being held by the SDF with the assistance of the US. During the past week, possibly as many as 200 detainees escaped from the al-Shaddadi prison in eastern Syria prompting the US CENTCOM to announce that it would transfer up to 7000 detainees from eastern Syria to Iraq. The Syrian military has begun filling the vacuum left by the collapse of the SDF. On Friday, Syrian government forces took over control of the al-Aqtan prison on the outskirts of Raqqa. Syrian government forces have to this point refrained from entering Kurdish majority areas.

Around the Region

• North Africa:

  • On Tuesday, massive flooding killed four people in the Tunisian province of Monastir. The flooding was caused by the heaviest rains the country has seen in more than 70 years according Al Jazeera. The flooding affected several major cities including the capital Tunis.

  • A Tunisian court sentenced two prominent radio journalists to three-and-a-half years in prison on charges of money laundering. This is the latests in a series of court rulings jailing journalists, activists, and opposition politicians. Tunisian authorities also said that security forces had killed four members of a “terrorist cell” near its border with Algeria.

• The Gulf:

  • On Wednesday, Mohammed Movahedi, the Iranian prosecutor general, claimed that the opposition protest movement has been crushed. The government also announced that approximately 3000 protesters were killed in the crackdown. That number is significantly lower than the HRANA report of 4,519 dead. The Iranian government continues to limit internet and mobile phone network services hindering reporting on the situation in the country. The US continues to move military assets to the region with the arrival of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

  • Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said that it will prosecute detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria. Earlier this week the US military announced that will transfer up to 7,000 detainees affiliated with ISIS from prisons and detention camps in Syria to Iraq.

• The Levant:

  • The US announced its Board of Peace and Jared Kushner unveiled his glitzy proposal for Gaza’s reconstruction at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During his ten-minute presentation, Kushner called for investors and ignored the widespread skepticism surrounding Gaza saying, “In the Middle East, they build cities like this . . . in three years” describing the project as “very doable.” The proposal imagines a Gaza filled with luxury high rises and cutting edge technology. Kushner’s plan did not address the significant obstacles in Gaza including the disarmament of Hamas, Israel’s continued shelling of Palestinian communities, massive amounts rubble, and Israel’s attempts to press Palestinians to leave Gaza. Over the past week, Israeli strikes killed three journalists in Gaza sparking calls from the Agence France-Presse to demand an investigation into the strikes.

  • Israel carried out strikes along the Syria-Lebanon border killing at least two people and injuring another 20 on Wednesday. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun commented on the strikes saying, “Once again, Israel is pursuing a policy of systematic aggression” and condemning Israel’s refusal to abide by the terms for the 2024 ceasefire between the two countries.

  • The Israeli human rights group B’tselem reported that at least 84 Palestinians had died in Israeli prisons and detention facilities. The report details the systematic use of torture and sexual abuse, which included the “forced anal penetration with various objects.” The report was based on interviews with 55 Palestinian detainees.

Recommended:

• “What Iranians want from Trump” The Atlantic

• “In Raqqa, the Day After” New Lines Magazine

• “After Yemen rift, Saudi Arabia aims to quash UAE’s power in the wider region” Washington Post