A cautious calm prevailed along the front lines in al-Hasakah Governorate (northeastern Syria) and the eastern Aleppo countryside (Ayn al-Arab/Kobani, northern Syria) on Saturday, 24 January, as the deadline set by the Syrian government for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expired.
Enab Baladi correspondents in the area said the four-day deadline ended without any direct military clashes as of the time of writing, amid heightened alert by forces on both sides of the contact lines.
Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said the four-day deadline for the SDF has ended, and that the Syrian government is studying its options.
Military alert and reinforcements
On the ground, the SDF took strict precautionary measures in major city centers. Heavy deployment of sniper teams was reported on high buildings and at strategic headquarters in the cities of al-Hasakah and Qamishli.
The SDF also reinforced its forward defense lines by sending additional forces and military vehicles, in a move aimed at raising combat readiness in case of any developments after the deadline granted by Damascus expired.
US-led Coalition movements
In parallel with the field tension, the area saw notable military movements by the US-led international Coalition. Its aircraft continued, intensively, to transfer Islamic State group detainees from prisons across the region to Iraq, under heightened security measures accompanying these transfers.
Public anxiety
Against this complex backdrop, residents in the area are living in a state of anticipation and anxiety over what the coming hours may bring.
Fears are mounting that a new round of conflict could break out, further worsening civilians’ suffering and undermining the fragile stability in northeastern Syria.
Open-ended scenarios
These developments come amid a political stalemate between the Syrian government and the SDF.
Damascus is seeking to extend its sovereignty and reassert control over the remaining areas outside its influence in the northeast. The Autonomous Administration, meanwhile, is holding to the particularity of its military and administrative status.
Government forces have taken full control of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor governorates after military operations that began from Deir Hafir (eastern Aleppo countryside). However, they have not entered Kurdish-majority areas, most notably the cities of Qamishli, al-Hasakah, and Kobani, amid negotiations over how these areas will be administered and how state institutions may enter.
Cautious calm along northeastern Syria front lines as Damascus deadline for the SDF expires Enab Baladi.
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