Top GOP senator says Syria ceasefire welcome but actions must match words

The Syrian army’s rapid-fire conquest of important areas and towns antecedently controlled by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), culminated connected Sunday successful a fragile ceasefire statement with a stern informing from a almighty U.S. Senator and experts astir the reported  crimes of forces controlled by President Ahmed al-Sharaa,

Jim Risch, R-Idaho., president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital, "The Syrian government’s decree to respect Kurdish rights is simply a bully sign, but the behaviour of its forces connected the crushed must match. Division and unit successful Syria betwixt U.S. partners lone payment atrocious actors similar ISIS and Iran who exploit Syria to usage arsenic a breeding crushed for planetary terrorism, including against the U.S. I invited the announcement of a ceasefire and volition beryllium watching its implementation closely."

Al-Sharaa, a erstwhile U.S.-designated violent who was a subordinate of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, greenlighted an incursion into territory ruled peacefully by the SDF for implicit a decade.

Amid Risch's warning, reports coming retired of Syria assertion skirmishes betwixt the Syrian service and SDF are continuing. 

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Some locals invited the Syrian service pursuing the withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), successful Tabqa, Syria, Jan. 18, 2026. (Karam al-Masri/Reuters)

The quality organization, Kurdistan 24, showed alleged footage of  al-Sharaa’s forces releasing Islamic State prisoners. According to the report, "The Syrian Arab Army releases ISIS prisoners successful al-Tabqah city." 

The footage has been wide posted connected societal media. Fox News Digital could not independently verify the video.

Jim Risch, R-Idaho., president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital, "The Syrian government’s decree to respect Kurdish rights is simply a bully sign, but the behaviour of its forces connected the crushed must match." (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The State Department referred Fox News Digital to an X station from the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who besides serves arsenic the Special Envoy for Syria. Barrack wrote connected X astir the woody betwixt SDF General Mazloum Abdi and al-Sharra.

"Two large Syrian leaders, driven by the shared imaginativeness of liberating their state and radical from tyranny, person present travel unneurotic to forge a brighter aboriginal for each Syrians. This statement and ceasefire correspond a pivotal inflection point, wherever erstwhile adversaries clasp concern implicit division."

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Soldiers of the Syrian service successful the entranceway of Sheik Maksoud vicinity during continuing warring betwixt the Syrian forces and the SDF connected Jan. 10, 2026 successful Aleppo, Syria. A ceasefire announced yesterday did not instrumentality clasp arsenic warring continued betwixt the Syrian service and Kurdish fighters successful the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo. Overnight, the service announced that it had completed a information expanse of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.  (Adri Salido/Getty Image)

Barrack added, "President al-Sharaa has affirmed that the Kurds are an integral portion of Syria, and the United States looks guardant to the seamless integration of our historical spouse successful the combat against ISIS with the Global Coalition’s newest member, arsenic we property guardant successful the enduring conflict against terrorism."

However, the People's Protection Units (YPG) commandant Sipan Hamo — a Syrian enactment that is portion of the SDF — said connected the Saturday gathering betwixt U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and Kurdish officials produced nary roadmap to a ceasefire. He denied Syria's Kurds wanted to secede oregon make an autarkic authorities and said their aboriginal was successful Syria.

"Our top anticipation is that determination volition beryllium a tangible outcome, particularly from the conjugation and the United States, meaning that they volition intervene much forcefully successful the existing problems than what they are presently doing," Hamo said.

The caput of the main Kurdish forces told Reuters that the U.S. should intervene much forcefully to extremity a Syrian violative that has gained cardinal territory from Kurdish fighters successful caller days.

U.S. forces supply subject grooming to members of the SDF successful the Qamisli territory successful the Al-Hasakah province, Syria connected Aug. 18, 2023.  (Photo by Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Government troops launched an violative connected Saturday into territory tally for the past decennary by semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities successful the northeast of Syria, capturing towns connected some sides of the Euphrates River and the country's largest lipid and state field, officials and information sources said.

But fixed Kurdish "concerns astir the changes taking place," the U.S. should connection assurances of extortion to them.

Hamo said that, "In the existent concern and the chaos we are surviving in, the lone ones who tin connection guarantees are the United States oregon the coalition," helium added successful a uncommon interrogation from Hasakeh province, which is inactive nether Kurdish control.

"We judge that the work for everything presently happening wrong Syria lies with the Western countries, and particularly the United States of America," helium said.

FILE - In this March 23, 2019, record photo, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters airs for a photograph successful Baghouz, Syria, aft the SDF declared the country escaped of Islamic State militants.  (Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo)

"Of course, we see Israel a almighty authorities successful the portion with its ain agenda. We anticipation that the aforesaid stance taken by different countries successful the portion towards definite minorities successful Syria volition beryllium extended to the Kurds arsenic well," Hamo said.

Asked if helium was referring to Israel's stance towards the Druze number past summertime — erstwhile Israel carried retired aerial strikes connected the defence ministry, adjacent the statesmanlike palace successful Damascus and connected Syrian troops advancing connected Druze cities, Hamo said, "of course."

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Tom Barrack met with the Syrian president connected behalf of the United States connected Saturday, Jan. 10. (@USAMBTurkiye via X)

Mutlu Civiroglu, a Kurdish Affairs analyst, told Fox News Digital that, "President Trump has spoken astir giving Syria and each its peoples a caller accidental to crook a caller page. Yet, Ahmed al Sharaa’s actions look to determination against that intention, and galore Kurds judge helium is abusing the governmental abstraction that was meant to enactment stableness alternatively than deepen tensions. "

Civiroglu added that I don’t deliberation the U.S. is abandoning the Kurds, but President Trump’s bully volition is being abused by Sharaa. Lawmakers successful Washington person besides expressed unease astir the interim Syrian government’s attraction of minorities, which reflects broader questions astir its committedness to inclusive governance."

A radical of civilians smashes a statue of a pistillate Syrian Democratic Forces combatant successful the metropolis of Tabqa aft the Syrian service took power of it, successful Tabqa, Syria, Jan. 18, 2026. (Karam al-Masri/Reuters)

Civiroglu posted footage connected his fashionable X relationship of al-Sharaa supporters toppling "a statue of a pistillate Kurdish combatant aft interim Syrian authorities forces seized Tabqa from the SDF. Kurdish fighters backed by the United States had liberated the municipality from ISIS successful May 2017."

Civiroglu said, "al-Sharaa’s confrontations with Kurdish forces, pursuing earlier unit connected Alawite and Druze areas, reenforce doubts astir the interim government’s legitimacy and its quality to correspond Syria’s divers population.

"The International assemblage indispensable retrieve that the Kurdish radical person agelong fought alongside the United States, France and the West successful the run against ISIS, and galore are watching intimately to spot however these partners construe the latest escalation," helium said.

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Max Abrahms, a starring adept connected counter-terrorism and a prof of governmental subject astatine Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital, "The YPG and past SDF were America’s superior counterterrorism forces against Islamic State successful Syria during the war. Unlike the alleged "rebels," our Kurdish warrior friends exhibited some capableness and moderation. It’s not astonishing that the jihadists, upon taking powerfulness successful Damascus, would crook their guns connected the Kurdish forces. Of course, we request to basal with them."