Syria announces 4-day cease-fire with Kurds, 'agreement' on Hassakeh | LIVE

We are now closing our LIVE coverage of the region for the night. We will be back tomorrow morning with more news updates.

Syria: Trump claims to have helped stop European jihadists' escape

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he helped prevent the escape of European jihadists in Syria, where the central government has launched an offensive against Kurdish fighters tasked with guarding camps and prisons housing detainees of the Islamic State (IS) group.

“European terrorists were in prison. They escaped. In cooperation with the Syrian government and the new Syrian leadership, they captured all the prisoners and returned them to prison,” the U.S. president said in an interview with the New York Post published Tuesday.

Kurdish forces declare commitment to 4-day cease-fire

Kurdish forces have declared their commitment to the four-day cease-fire announced earlier by the Syrian government, following the failure of previous truce efforts.

"We announce the full commitment of our forces to the cease-fire ... We will not initiate military action unless our forces are subjected to attacks," the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) wrote in a statement.

Syria Defense Ministry: 4 day cease-fire with Kurds

The Syrian Defense Ministry announced a four-day cease-fire with the Kurds in the north of the country on Tuesday evening, following the announcement of an agreement on the fate of their stronghold of Hassakeh, according to AFP.

"We announce a cease-fire... starting at 8 p.m. [local time] ... for a period of four days," in accordance with "the agreement between the Syrian state and the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF, led by the Kurds]," the Ministry stated in a press release, after previous truce efforts had failed.

Witkoff: Syrian government 'ready' to ensure security of jihadist detention centers

The Syrian government is "ready" to ensure the security of jihadist detention centers, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, as reported by AFP.

Syrian Kurds urges international coalition to secure IS prison camps

Syrian Kurds are calling on the international coalition to secure Islamic State (IS) prison camps, AFP reports.

Barrack: Kurdish forces's anti-IS mission no longer has reason to exist

The anti-Islamic State (IS) mission of the Kurdish forces no longer has a reason to exist, says U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, in remarks reported by AFP.

Sharaa announces 'agreement' with Kurds on Hassakeh

The Syrian presidency announces "an agreement" with the Kurds on the fate of their stronghold of Hassakeh.

Kurds say agreement to integrate civil and military institutions into Syrian state ‘no longer valid’

A senior Kurdish official said the deal to integrate Kurdish civil and military institutions into the Syrian state has lost all “validity” following the failure of talks to resolve disputes between the two sides, AFP reports.

“Given that there is no ceasefire at the moment, that Damascus continues to attack our regions, and that [the government] refuses to engage in dialogue, the agreement is no longer valid at this time,” Elham Ahmad told journalists during an online press conference, according to an English translation provided by the organizers.

Kurdish Forces ‘Forced to Withdraw’ From al-Hol Camp

Kurdish forces were “forced to withdraw” from the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, which holds families of Islamic State (IS) fighters, AFP reports.

Syria: Army accuses Kurds of leaving al-Hol camp, Kurds deny claim

The Syrian army accused Kurdish forces of withdrawing from the al-Hol camp, where thousands of relatives of IS fighters — including foreign nationals — are being held. Kurdish authorities denied the claim, saying clashes were taking place around the camp.

Al-Hol, the largest camp in Kurdish-controlled areas, houses around 27,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 foreign women and children from 42 nationalities, including Western countries.

⚡ Syria: Army deploys reinforcements against Kurds after talks with Damascus collapse

The Syrian army is deploying reinforcements to the country’s northeast to face Kurdish forces, which are mobilizing across autonomous Kurdish areas, a day after talks between the two sides failed to resolve their differences, AFP reports.

President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi were expected to finalize an agreement in Damascus on Monday to integrate Kurdish civil and military institutions into the Syrian state, but the meeting ended without an announcement.

“The negotiations have completely collapsed,” a Kurdish official told AFP on Tuesday.

“The only demand of the Syrian authorities is unconditional surrender,” said Abdel Karim Omar, the autonomous Kurdish administration’s representative in Damascus, calling on the international community to urgently take “a firm and decisive position” in support of Syrian Kurds.

Clashes between pro-Kurdish protesters and police at Syrian border

Over a thousand pro-Kurdish demonstrators blocked by Turkish police attempted to force their way toward Syria at the Nusaybin border crossing in southeastern Turkey, AFP journalists reported.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

The protesters, mobilized at the call of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, were demonstrating against the Syrian army’s offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, which is backed by the Turkish government.

Qatar praises Syria cease-fire, backs US mediation

Qatar said U.S.-led efforts to stop the fighting in Syria are vital for stabilizing the country and the wider region, Al Jazeera reports.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Doha welcomes the agreement in Syria and supports the country’s unity and stability.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia announced last April they would cover Syria’s roughly $15 million debt to the World Bank, and both states have played a leading role in diplomatic engagement with Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.

UN urges restraint as tensions rise in Northeast Syria

The UNHCR has warned that while the situation around Hasakah and Qamishli remains calm, it is still “tense.”

“We are concerned about the renewed tensions and call for restraint, emphasizing the safety and protection of civilians, safe passage for those fleeing, and adherence to humanitarian principles,” the agency said in a statement to Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, the U.N. reported that approximately 1,700 families fled Tabqa, moving toward Qamishli as Syrian government forces clashed with the SDF to gain control of the area.

UN Human Rights Council to hold emergency session on Iran

The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to hold an urgent session on Iran this Friday to address “alarming violence” and rights violations connected to the country’s ongoing protests, Reuters reports.

Syria says talks with SDF remain open

A Syrian government official confirmed that the March 10, 2025 agreement to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remains in effect and that dialogue between the two sides is ongoing, Al Jazeera reports.

“We have not withdrawn from the March agreement with the SDF so far, and channels of communication remain open,” the official told Al Jazeera.

The agreement calls for the unification of Syria and requires that “all civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria,” including border crossings, airports, and oil and gas fields, be brought under Syrian state administration.

Israel rejects Iran’s claims, blames Tehran for funding terror

The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog dismissed accusations from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, saying international condemnation of Iran “is not the result of political pressure, but the simple and undeniable truth: the Iranian regime is the head of the serpent arming, funding, and directing Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist proxies committing crimes against humanity.”

The statement, reported by Haaretz, added that “while President Herzog represents a democracy defending its citizens and the free world against murderous terrorism, the Iranian minister represents a brutal and tyrannical regime attempting to hide its heinous crimes behind empty rhetoric.”

On X, Herzog also wrote that the same “murderous Iranian regime that kills its own people daily, executes innocent men and women for seeking freedom, and spreads terror and death across the Middle East is in no position to give lessons on ‘morality.’”

Iranian FM says Davos invitation canceled due to 'Israeli pressure'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the World Economic Forum in Davos canceled his participation “based on lies and political pressure from Israel and its allies in the U.S.”

He defended Iran’s response to recent unrest, saying the government had to protect its people from “armed terrorists and ISIS-style assassinations, openly supported by Mossad.”

Araghchi also criticized what he called a double standard, pointing out that Israel’s actions in Gaza, which he labeled a genocide resulting in 71,000 deaths, “never led the WEF to cancel invitations to Israeli officials,” and noting that President Herzog visited Davos in 2024 despite facing legal accusations related to Gaza.

Egypt's Sisi to meet Trump on the sidelines

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet U.S President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Egypt's presidency said on Tuesday.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the U.S announced it was launching the second phase of its plan to end the war in Gaza.

Sisi and Trump met in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in October during a summit convened by Egypt to sign a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war.

On Friday, Trump said that he was also ready to restart U.S. mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve the dispute over an Ethiopian dam, which both Egypt and Sudan consider a serious threat to vital water supplies.

Israel refusing to allow members of Palestinian technocratic committee into the Strip

Israel is refusing to allow members of the Palestinian technocratic committee set to oversee Gaza into the Strip, Haaretz reported citing Palestinian sources.

According to the sources, committee members planned to enter the Strip this week through the Rafah Crossing and take over its civilian administration by the end of the week.

In the meantime, committee members continue to meet in Cairo, and representatives of mediating countries, particularly Egypt, are working with the United States to approve entry of the technocrats into the Strip by the end of the month.

The experts do not know when and how they will begin their work in the field, given Israel's refusal to let them in, according to sources involved in the committee members' discussions in Cairo, cited by the Israeli newspaper.

Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, the technocratic committee would run Gaza’s daily public and municipal services, operating under the supervision of the "Board of Peace."

Syrian army advances in al-Hasakah province

The Syrian army continues to make gains in Hasakah province, an area controlled by Kurdish forces, Al Jazeera reports.

Talks between Damascus and SDF 'have collapsed'

Negotiations between Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, the head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, have collapsed, a Kurdish official told AFP on Tuesday.

"The negotiations held yesterday in Damascus between General Mazloum and Mr. al‑Sharaa have collapsed entirely," the official said, blaming the central government for the breakdown.

"A firm and decisive stance from the international community is urgently required," he added.

Trump slams UK Chagos deal as ‘act of great stupidity’

Donald Trump called the UK’s Chagos Islands agreement (plan to hand over sovereignity of the Chagos islands to Mauritius) “an act of great stupidity,” embarrassing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who urged solutions based on partnership and mutual respect amid tensions over Greenland and potential US tariffs.

The eight European countries targeted by Trump’s threatened tariffs — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK — warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” and expressed full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland against the threats of annexation, The Guardian reports.

Israeli bulldozers begin demolishing buildings at UNRWA HQ in East Jerusalem

Israel demolished structures inside the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency's East Jerusalem compound on Tuesday after seizing the site last year, in an act condemned by the agency as a violation of international law.

Surrounded by Israeli forces, bulldozers razed several large buildings and other smaller structures inside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's compound, where dozens of agency staff once worked.

UNRWA, which has been accused of bias by Israel, has not used the building since the start of last year after Israel ordered it to vacate all its premises and cease its operations.

South Lebanon: Why the 'mechanism' is (temporarily) halted

UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol alongside Lebanese soldiers in the Marjeyoun area of South Lebanon, near the Israeli border, on Jan. 8, 2026. (Credit: Rabih Daher/AFP)

Since the Jan. 7 meeting, the cease-fire monitoring committee (the 'mechanism') has not convened.

Two sessions scheduled for Jan. 10 and 17 were postponed, raising questions about the reasons for the delays and the risks they could pose for Lebanon, including the possibility of Israel exploiting a wider operational scope.

Israeli drone drops stun grenade on Mais al-Jabal

An Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on the Dabbakeh neighborhood northeast of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district) without causing casualties, our correspondent reported.

Kurdish mobilization: Turkey 'will not tolerate any provocation' disturbing peace

Turkey “will not tolerate any provocation” disrupting peace on its territory, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya warned, amid protests organized by pro-Kurdish parties and movements against Damascus’ offensive in northeastern Syria, AFP reported.

“We are closely and carefully monitoring recent developments in Syria and all activities along our border … I want to reaffirm that we will not tolerate any attempt, provocation, or manipulation of public opinion aimed at disturbing our country’s peace,” he said to the press.

Over 13,000 presumed dead during protests in Iran

The U.S.-based human rights organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported yesterday that it has verified 4,029 deaths in Iran, while an additional 9,049 presumed deaths are under review.

According to the organization, 5,811 people have been seriously injured and 26,015 arrested in 188 cities across the country since the protests began more than three weeks ago, as internet shutdowns continue alongside increased pressure on the media and a security crackdown.

HRANA also said that due to the regime’s repression, an invitation extended to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos was canceled.

Turkey: PKK guerrilla vows to 'never abandon' Syria’s Kurds

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrilla vowed to “never abandon” Syria’s Kurds in the face of the Syrian army’s offensive, a senior official of the group, Murat Karayilan, told the pro-movement ANF news agency, cited by AFP.

“Know that we will never abandon you. Whatever the cost, we will never leave you alone. In this process, we, the entire Kurdish people and the movement, will do everything that is necessary,” he said, addressing Syrian Kurds.

South Lebanon: Israeli army destroys a house in Markaba at dawn

The Israeli army infiltrated the village of Markaba at dawn from the Reab al-Thalathin side (Marjayoun district), where it blew up a house, our correspondent reported.

Sharaa and Trump discussed guarantees for Kurdish rights

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa spoke by phone on Monday with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump about the situation of Syrian Kurds, his office said, a day after an agreement between Damascus and Kurdish forces that included a cease-fire.

During the call, “both sides stressed the need to guarantee the rights and protection of the Kurdish people within the framework of the Syrian state,” a presidential statement said, adding that the two leaders also “affirmed the importance of preserving Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.”

Netanyahu pressed Rubio on Israel’s opposition to including Qatar and Turkey in Gaza’s Executive Council

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Israel’s opposition to including Qatar and Turkey in the composition of Gaza’s Executive Council, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

UAE denies running 'secret prisons' in Yemen

The United Arab Emirates denied operating secret prisons in southern Yemen, as claimed the previous day by Saudi-backed Yemeni authorities, AFP reported.

“These allegations are nothing more than deliberate fabrications and disinformation,” the Emirati Defense Ministry said in a statement issued overnight.

The Gulf country intervened in Yemen in 2015 alongside Saudi Arabia, but the two neighbors later backed rival factions.

On Monday, the governor of Hadramout, one of the provinces retaken from separatists by pro-Saudi forces, said he had “discovered secret prisons used by Emirati forces” and vowed to take action against “those responsible for these violations.” The Emirati Defense Ministry said the facilities were “military housing, operations rooms and fortified shelters,” questioning the “real motives and actors behind the spread of these lies.”

Israeli army infiltrates Kfar Kila overnight

Overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the Israeli army infiltrated the heart of the border village of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun district), blowing up two houses, our South Lebanon correspondent reported.

Earlier, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a house in the town of Zebqin (Sour district).

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East

We will bring you the latest news from southern Lebanon and Gaza, which continue to be bombarded by Israel despite the cease-fires in place.

We are also following developments in Syria, where a new agreement has been reached between Damascus and the Kurds after a weekend of fighting.

We will also cover developments in Iran, where large-scale anti-regime protests have shaken the authorities for weeks and where the crackdown has resulted in thousands of deaths.

To catch up on what you missed yesterday and what to keep an eye out for today your 👉 Morning Brief you everything you need to know this Tuesday.

Syria says 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from prison; Kurdish site reports 1,500 escapees

Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after Kurdish outlet Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Farhad Shami, said around 1,500 IS members had escaped, Reuters reported.

The ministry said Syrian army units and special forces had entered Shaddadi following the escape, adding that security forces had recaptured 81 escapees after sweep and search operations in and around the city, and that efforts were ongoing to arrest the remaining fugitives.

Earlier, the Syrian army said that “a number” of Islamic State fighters had escaped from a prison under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, accusing the SDF of having released them.

After several days of fighting with government forces, the SDF agreed on Sunday to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, two Arab-majority provinces it had controlled for years and which contain Syria’s main oil fields.