Syrian government military reinforcements arrive via the international M4 highway to the Dayr Hafir area, east of Aleppo city on January 14, 2026. Syria's army was moving reinforcements east of Aleppo city on January 14, a day after it told Kurdish forces to withdraw from the area following deadly clashes last week. The deployment comes as Syria's Islamist-led government seeks to extend its authority across the country, but progress has stalled on integrating the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration and forces into the central government under a deal reached in March.