In a 24-hour span, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) abandoned their positions in the entire Euphrates Valley, from Lake Assad to the Iraqi border. Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and its valuable oil fields were overrun by al-Sharaa’s army and allied or rallied Arab tribes. The Arab militias that made up the SDF deserted en masse from the very first skirmishes. Damascus’s forces, bolstered by local tribes, are quickly advancing northward. They have taken Ayn Aissa, isolating the Kurdish enclave of Kobani from the Jazira region. From Deir ez-Zor, they are advancing rapidly along the Khabur Valley, approaching the outskirts of Hasakah. Although Mazloum Abdi and Ahmad al-Sharaa reached an agreement with US mediation, it is unclear whether the truce will last. Damascus aims to capitalize on its momentum and seize the entire northeast, leaving nothing for the Kurds.
