Syrian Arab Republic: Flash Update No. 1 | Recent Developments in Ar-Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor and Al-Hasakeh (As of 19 January 2026) [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

• The humanitarian situation has rapidly evolved across Ar-Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor, and southern Al-Hasakeh in recent days.
• Public services are suspended in Deir-ez-Zor's eastern bank areas, and key transport routes remain closed, limiting access to health care, education, and essential services.
• In Ar-Raqqa City, damage to critical infrastructure has disrupted movement and cut the main water supply, leaving large numbers of residents without safe water.
• Displacement continues from Ar-Raqqa, Tabqa, and Thawra toward Al-Hasakeh and Qamishli.
• Newly displaced families are arriving during harsh winter conditions, facing acute shortages of shelter, food, non-food items, and heating fuel.
• Humanitarian organizations are providing life-saving assistance where access allows, while calling for safe, sustained humanitarian access to scale up the response.

SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN IMPACT

Since the ceasefire was announced on 11 January in Aleppo, insecurity has spread beyond the city into eastern rural Aleppo particularly Dayr Hafer and Maskana and has also extended into Ar-Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor governorates and Southern Al-Hasakeh, mainly around Markada, Shadadah, and surrounding rural areas.

This has resulted in a rapidly evolving situation with limited clarity on the operating environment. These developments have increased risks for civilians, disrupted essential infrastructure, and constrained the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Population movements have been reported, accompanied by movement restrictions and curfews in several areas.

On 17 January 2026, clashes were reported in several areas of Deir-ez-Zor, particularly along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Subsequently, public services across Deir-ez-Zor were suspended, including schools, universities, and government offices, and scheduled examinations were postponed. A limited number of families temporarily relocated from front-line areas in the Hawiqa neighborhood as a precautionary measure and subsequently returned to their places of origin once the situation stabilized.

According to IOM DTM, as of 18 January more than 6,000 people moved from Ar-Raqqa Governorate arriving in Aleppo and Al‑Hasakeh and almost 4,400 people are in collective shelters in Qamishli while approximately 7,000 others remain in transit. These movements were reportedly driven by concern and uncertainty rather than direct exposure to hostilities. Families are arriving under harsh winter conditions and face critical shortages of food, clothing, non-food items (NFIs), and fuel for heating, underscoring the urgent need for life-saving assistance

On 18 January, a ceasefire agreement was announced outlining administrative and institutional changes in Ar-Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor, and Al-Hasakeh including the transition of local governance and service management to the Government of Syria.