Dec 2024 – Bashar al‑Assad’s regime collapses and former al‑Qaeda affiliate Ahmed al‑Sharaa assumes the interim presidency after leading the rebel offensive that ousts Assad, reshaping Syria’s power structure. [7][3]

Dec 11, 2025 – The United States reorients its Syria strategy, directing troops to cooperate with interim President Ahmad al‑Sharaa and to engage Damascus alongside the Kurdish‑led SDF, marking a shift from a solely Kurdish‑centric approach. [7]

Jan 6, 2026 – Coordinated assaults by the Syrian Interim Government, Turkey‑controlled brigades, Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham and Islamic State force the SDF and Women’s Defence Units to withdraw from Tabqa, Raqqa and Deir ez‑Zor, sparking new displacement and civilian casualties. [11]

Jan 18, 2026 – The Syrian government and the US‑backed SDF announce a cease‑fire; SDF commander Mazloum Abdi confirms the group will withdraw from Raqqa and Deir el‑Zour and begin integration into state security structures. [10]

Jan 19, 2026 – A 14‑point cease‑fire agreement mandates the SDF’s handover of Deir el‑Zour, Raqqa, border crossings, oil fields and detention facilities, while promising Kurdish language rights and individual integration of fighters into the defence and interior ministries; President Ahmed al‑Sharaa urges unity and Abdi says the fighting was imposed on his forces. [5][10]

Jan 20, 2026 – Damascus declares a new cease‑fire after the SDF pulls out of the al‑Hol camp; a four‑day consultation window opens to detail how the northeast will come under government control and how tens of thousands of SDF fighters will be absorbed, with a pledge not to deploy forces into Hassakeh, Qamishli or Kurdish villages. [4]

Jan 22, 2026 – Government forces launch a rapid offensive that retakes the Kurdish‑held northeast, prompting the SDF to sign a 14‑point framework that reverses earlier concessions; President Sharaa issues a decree granting Kurdish language status, citizenship to stateless Kurds and a national Nowruz holiday, while a four‑day cease‑fire gives the SDF time to submit an integration plan. [3]

Jan 23, 2026 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulates the Syrian government on defeating the SDF, reiterates Turkey’s refusal to tolerate any separatist structures near its border, and claims Ankara coordinated with Damascus to protect civilians during the offensive. [8]

Jan 29, 2026 – U.S. policy pivots further toward Damascus as Washington backs interim President Sharaa; the cease‑fire set to expire on 7 February, and UN officials describe conditions in the al‑Hol camp as “tense and volatile” after its seizure by government forces. [2]

Jan 30, 2026 – The Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF sign an integration deal that creates a three‑brigade military division, transfers the Omar oil field and Tabqa dam to state control, and enshrines Kurdish cultural, linguistic and civil rights; U.S. envoy Tom Barrack calls the pact “a profound and historic milestone” in Syria’s path to national reconciliation. [1]

Feb 2, 2026 – Despite the January 30 cease‑fire, Islamic State cells re‑emerge as the Syrian Interim Government releases roughly 2,000 IS prisoners and attacks continue nationwide, prompting Kurdish leader Afrin to warn that the gender‑equal autonomous model of DAANES is under assault and that the next month will be critical for implementing integration steps. [11]

Feb 7, 2026 – The fragile cease‑fire between Damascus and the SDF reaches its scheduled expiration, with negotiators scrambling to extend or formalize the truce while both sides warn that any breakdown could reignite full‑scale fighting. [2]