عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

UN Aid Convoy Delivers Supplies to Besieged City in Northeast Syria as a Shaky Ceasefire Holds

TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)
TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

UN Aid Convoy Delivers Supplies to Besieged City in Northeast Syria as a Shaky Ceasefire Holds

TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)
TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)

A United Nations aid convoy unloaded humanitarian supplies in the besieged enclave of Kobani in northeast Syria, officials said Monday.

It was the first aid convoy to reach the area since fighting kicked off between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this month.

The government launched an offensive in which it seized much of the territory previously held by the SDF, leaving pockets of Kurdish-majority areas under SDF control.

A ceasefire that was announced Tuesday and then extended on Saturday for 15 more days appeared to be mostly holding, although sporadic skirmishes have been reported, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Residents of Kobani, which is surrounded by government-held territory, have reported electricity and water cuts and shortages of essential goods, including bread, The Associated Press said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Monday that 24 trucks carrying supplies including fuel, food, medical and winterization kits delivered their cargo and exited the enclave. The trucks entered Kobani the day before.

The fighting in northeast Syria has displaced more than 173,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration. As the situation has remained calm in most areas since the ceasefire, some have begun to return to their homes.

Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.

A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.

The ceasefire was extended Saturday to give US forces a chance to transfer accused ISIS group militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.

Some 7,000 out of a total of 9,000 accused ISIS members held in Syria are to be moved to Iraq, amid fears they could escape if fighting resumes between government forces and the SDF.

Once in Iraq, prisoners accused of terrorism will be investigated by security forces and tried in domestic courts, Iraqi officials have said.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Mazloum Abdi: We Will Take Advantage of Truce to Advance Dec. 18 Agreement

Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 
Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 
TT
TT

Mazloum Abdi: We Will Take Advantage of Truce to Advance Dec. 18 Agreement

Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 
Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 

Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said efforts had been underway for some time to reach a ceasefire, noting that the current truce was implemented “at the request of the US military.”

“We are ready to implement the agreement in the near term, and there is understanding on many issues,” Abdi said in remarks to the Kurdish Ronahi TV channel. “We will use the truce period to make tangible progress on the Dec. 18 agreement.”

He explained that, under the agreement, government forces would not enter Kurdish-majority areas, while SDF institutions would be integrated into state institutions.

He added that Damascus had been asked not to enter the city and had agreed, expressing hope that the commitment would be upheld. Abdi said any solution for Kobani and Qamishli must also include Ras al-Ayn and Afrin.

Abdi said negotiations with Damascus were continuing under international sponsorship, with the involvement of the United States at political and military levels, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.

He stressed that the talks should not be considered a final agreement, adding that international efforts to de-escalate would succeed as long as Damascus honored its commitments and no “unacceptable” conditions were imposed.

He said the SDF remained ready to implement the Dec. 18 agreement with Damascus within a short period, noting that names had been proposed for the posts of deputy defense minister and governor of Hasakah, though no final list had yet been agreed.

Meanwhile, the SDF said on Monday that heavy clashes had erupted with Syrian government-affiliated factions southeast of Kobani, after attacks launched at dawn.

The fighting continued, particularly in the town of Jalbiya, amid reinforcements including tanks and armored vehicles and intensive Turkish drone activity. Syria’s Defense Ministry accused the SDF of violating the ceasefire and launching more than 25 drone attacks on army positions around Kobani.

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Türkiye Bans Protests in Province Bordering Syria

Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir
Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir
TT
TT

Türkiye Bans Protests in Province Bordering Syria

Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir
Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir

Turkish officials in the southeastern Mardin province bordering Syria on Monday announced a six-day ban on gatherings following an outpouring of anger over an offensive against Kurdish fighters across the border.

Türkiye's Kurdish community has denounced the government's support for a Syrian offensive against a semi-autonomous northeastern region under Kurdish control.

During a protest to denounce the operation last week, over 1,000 people attempted to breach the border crossing into Syria from the town of Nusaybin.

The ban on gatherings in Mardin is in place until Saturday evening.

"With the exception of events deemed appropriate ... any action intended to be carried out in open spaces (gatherings, marches, press conferences, hunger strikes, sit-ins, the setting up of stands, the pitching of tents, the distribution of leaflets/brochures, the posting of posters/banners, etc.) is prohibited," the Mardin governorate said in a statement.

Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party had called a protest on Tuesday in Nusaybin, which is across the border from the Syrian city of Qamishli.

The call came despite the ceasefire currently in effect in northern Syria.

Türkiye already banned outdoor gatherings in Diyarbakir, the main city in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, between Friday and Monday evening.

The Turkish government has launched a peace process with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), but the clashes in northern Syria threaten to derail negotiations.

Arab World

Iraqi Hezbollah Calls for 'Total War' in Support of Iran amid Coordination Framework's Refusal

An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)
An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)
TT
TT

Iraqi Hezbollah Calls for 'Total War' in Support of Iran amid Coordination Framework's Refusal

An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)
An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)

Secretary-General of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi called on Sunday so-called "mujahideen" fighters to prepare for "total war" in support of Iran amid the rising tensions between Tehran and the United States.

Officials acknowledged the arrival of a US aircraft carrier to the region Monday. President Donald Trump ordered the carriers to move to the Middle East as he threatened military action over Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests.

The entire region is mired in a tense waiting game to see if Trump will strike.

Kataib Hezbollah sat out from Israel's 12-day war on Iran in June that saw the US bomb Iranian nuclear sites. The hesitancy to get involved shows the disarray still affecting Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance” after facing attacks from Israel during its war on Hamas in Gaza.

Al-Hamidawi's call was the first by Iran-aligned factions in Iraq in wake of the latest tensions, while the Baghdad government and majority of political parties have kept silent. Baghdad is embroiled in the process of forming a new government and naming a new prime minister.

In a statement, al-Hamidawi called on "mujahideen across the land to prepare for total war in support of" Iran that has "for over four decades stood by the weak, without discrimination over sect, race or color."

He said "Zionists across the earth are trying to destroy Iran", calling on members of the Axis to support it with whichever means they can.

"We affirm to the enemies that the war on Iran will not be a picnic; rather, you will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region," he declared.

Washington had previously designated as terrorist four Iraqi armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah. It accused Iran of supporting "these militias in planning or facilitating attacks" across Iraq.

The US has for months been pressuring Iraqi authorities to limit the possession of weapons to the state and bring under control armed factions that operate independently of the armed forces and that have carried out attacks against Washington's interests in Iraq.

Meanwhile, an official source in the pro-Iran Coordination Framework distanced the coalition from al-Hamidawi's statement.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source said the Kataib Hezbollah's "behavior and statements at this time are inappropriate and only further complicate the situation in Iraq."

"Political forces in Iraq are preoccupied with the formation of a new government that has several problems to deal with, including the dire economy," added the source on condition of anonymity.

"The government is not prepared to join any war with any party," it stressed.

It doubted that al-Hamidawi's call to fight will be heeded by other factions "because they are aware that they cannot confront the US, just as they were aware during the 12-day war that they did not join."

The majority of the factions prefer to stand on the sidelines than join a war that may perhaps destroy or weaken them, it went on to say.

Moreover, the Coordination Framework leaderships refuse to embroil Iraq in a new war, it added.