Syrian army retakes Tabqa city as Kurdish forces stage rapid retreat

Syrian government forces have seized full control of the strategic city of Tabqa and its military airport along the Euphrates River, state media reported.

The capture is part of a lightning offensive across Raqqa province as the Syrian army shifts its primary operations from Aleppo to the east.

Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said government troops secured the city and the Euphrates Dam, Syria’s largest, after repelling militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey, the European Union, and the United States designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Damascus officials also condemned the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), accusing the group of executing prisoners.

The pace of the conflict has accelerated sharply, with several SDF units reportedly surrendering in the Mansoura area after being surrounded.

Fighting has also spread to Deir Az Zor province. Local tribal forces there said they are now coordinating with the Syrian army to combat the SDF.

Social media footage appeared to show SDF units evacuating a military hospital as government forces advanced.

The Syrian military’s rapid offensive has transcended mere tactical gain, signaling the definitive collapse of a tenuous ceasefire and forcing a high-stakes reckoning for U.S. strategy in the region.

According to William Lawrence, a former U.S. diplomat and regional expert, the current battlefield dynamics directly contradict the March 10 framework, which had envisioned a phased withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Instead of an orderly transition, the region is witnessing a "chaotic handover of power" as Syrian government forces advance at a pace that has blindsided international observers. This breakdown highlights a profound deficit of trust between stakeholders and underscores the inherent fragility of existing diplomatic arrangements.

The SDF’s swift retreat across multiple fronts reveals critical structural vulnerabilities. Currently caught in a strategic pincer movement stretching from Aleppo to Raqqa, the group has struggled to maintain its footing. Crucially, the ease with which government forces have moved through Arab-majority towns suggests that the SDF lacks organic local support in these key enclaves.

For Washington, the stakes could not be higher. As the primary U.S. partner in the counter-ISIL mission, the SDF’s loss of territory directly erodes American influence and threatens to upend the broader U.S. security architecture in Syria. While urgent consultations between U.S. envoys and SDF commanders reflect the gravity of the crisis, the lack of a clear diplomatic breakthrough points to an increasingly uncertain future for the American-led mission.