CENTCOM: Our Forces Have Arrived in Deir Hafir to Assess the Situation and Support Stability

Welat TV – Erbil

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has affirmed that achieving peace in Syria remains critically important, announcing that a delegation of its forces has arrived in Deir Hafir in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.

The move comes amid ongoing U.S. efforts to de-escalate tensions between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government forces.

Speaking to the media on Friday, January 16, 2026, CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said, “We are closely monitoring developments in Syria,” noting that the command is in contact with Syrian parties to help promote stability.

Earlier on Friday, the SDF Media Center reported that officials from the Syrian Democratic Forces and the U.S.-led International Coalition held a meeting to discuss ways to reduce tensions between the SDF and Syrian authorities in the Deir Hafir area.

According to the statement, “A meeting was held between members of the SDF leadership and the Coalition command in Deir Hafir to discuss de-escalation.” Meanwhile, a Syrian government military source said that “a Coalition convoy” had entered the area east of the city of Aleppo in northern Syria.

Aleppo province has been witnessing escalating tensions for more than a week between Syrian army factions and the SDF, following violent clashes that erupted in the city last week, resulting in dozens of casualties and the displacement of thousands of civilians from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya neighborhoods.

Areas in the eastern Aleppo countryside are also on heightened military alert on both sides, after the Syrian army deployed reinforcements to the region, following the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave. In response, the SDF closed official crossings with areas under Syrian government control, while continuing to allow the passage of humanitarian cases.