Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 19:59

⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇱❌🇮🇷 - The "USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)" Carrier Strike group is to arrive in CENTCOM area of responsibility within the next 72 hours.

It's AIS transponders were switched off.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 19:25

🇺🇸🇺🇳🇸🇾❌🏴 — Syria at the United Nations:

➡️ We take this threat very seriously regarding ISIS detention facilities and camps.

➡️ We have regained control over most of them and will continue working with the US and allies to fight terrorism effectively.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 18:21

🇺🇸🤝🇸🇾 — It's likely the US was involved in the deal made between the SDF and Al-Shaara.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 18:15

🇺🇸🤝🇸🇾❌🏴 — US President Donald Trump:

"I did a great job. You know what I did? I stopped a prison break. Oh, we did a good job with Syria. They had a prison break. European prisoners were breaking and I got it stopped. That was yesterday. European terrorists were in prison. They had a prison break.

Working with the government of Syria and the new leader of Syria, they captured all the prisoners, put them back to jail, and these were the worst terrorists in the world, all from Europe."

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 17:12

🇸🇾❌🏴 — Syrian government forces have taken control of the al-Hol camp, following the escape of an undetermined number of families with the help of local tribal fighters.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 17:02

🇸🇾🤝🇺🇸🤝🇸🇾❌🏴 — U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack:

The original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 17:00

🇸🇾🤝🇺🇸🤝🇸🇾❌🏴 — US Envoy Tom Barrack on the new deal between the SDF and the Syrian government:

The deal integrates SDF fighters into the national military (as individuals, which remains among the most contentious issues), hand over key infrastructure (oil fields, dams, border crossings), and cede control of ISIS prisons and camps to Damascus

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 15:43

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾 — Tribal fighters entering al-Hol camp.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:54

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — At this current time, neither the SDF nor the Syrian government controls al-Hol camp, it is under control of the women and children while tribal fighters (some IS members too) are clashing against SDF militias outside the camp, the Syrian army has not arrived yet.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:48

⬛❌🇸🇾 — Scenes from inside al-Hol camp, as the captives escape.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:38

🏴🤝🇸🇾❌🇸🇾 — Claims from women's accounts in Al-Hol on Instagram "Jawlani army came to the camp and said we are free"

"They said you are free, but we don't know where to go"

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:35

⬛ ❌ 🇸🇾🇺🇸🇸🇾 — Detainees from Al-Hol Camp are escaping, tribal fighters destroyed some gates and they've freed the women and children.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:25

🇸🇾🇹🇷❌🇸🇾🇹🇷 — Number of Kurds in Turkey lowered the Turkish flag at the Nusaybin border crossing.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:18

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — SDF says Syrian government forces are renewing attempts to take over al-Atqan prison in northern Raqqah, despite earlier reports that SDF had withdrawn from it.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:11

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — SDF official statement about al-Hol:

Due to the indifferent international stance towards the ISIS organization and the international community's failure to assume its responsibilities in addressing this dangerous issue, our forces were forced to withdraw from Al-Hol camp and redeploy to the vicinity of cities in northern Syria, which are subject to increasing risks and threats.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 19:32

⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇱❌🇮🇷 - The USAF has announced the arrival of "F-15E Strike Eagle" aircrafts, landing at an undisclosed base in the Middle East, on the 18th of January.

As previously posted, the Jets landed at the "Muwaffaq Salti" Air Base in Jordan, and were assigned to the "494th" Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

The USAF stated that the presence of these aircrafts "enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability".

📝 Image published by the USAF of the Jet in base also displays the presence of an "A-10 Thunderbolt" attack aircraft in the background.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 18:28

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾 — The Syrian Army enters Tal Hamis, east of Al-Hasakah.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 18:16

🇸🇾❓🏴 ❌🇸🇾 — SDF claims that Syrian government forces are currently attacking their forces in the Aqtan prison in northern Raqqah using five suicide bombers.

Likely IS, especially with the use of 5 suicide bombers.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 17:31

🇸🇾🤝🇸🇾 —SDF confirms their commitment to respect the ceasefire agreed with the Syrian government.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 17:11

#BREAKING
🇸🇾🤝🇸🇾 — The Syrian Ministry of Defense announces a four-day ceasefire with the SDF in northeast Syria

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 17:01

❗️🇺🇸— Tom Barrack emphasized on the fact that the SDF's original purpose was to be their footsodliers against the Islamic State, but the Syrian government has proven to be a better ally against IS as it is the recognized central government.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 16:00

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾 — Scenes of tribal fighters driving across Al-Hol, watching the women and children escape.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:57

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — Similar to yesterday's situation at al-Shaddadi, the SDF and the Syrian government accuse each other of causing mass evasion of Islamic State families from al-Hol camp today.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:53

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — Syrian Ministry of Defense:

We announce our full readiness to take over the Al-Hol camp and the ISIS prisons in the entire region, and we stress that our priority is to combat the terrorist organization ISIS.

We reject the exploitation of the prisoners' file as hostages or political bargaining chips by the SDF leadership to spread chaos and destabilize the situation.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:39

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾 —A Syrian Army drone targeted and destroyed a rocket launcher belonging to the SDF.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:36

#BREAKING
🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — The Syrian Interior Ministry said that the "SDF released a number of ISIS detainees and their families, and withdrew their forces guarding the "Al-Hol" camp east of Al-Hasakah without coordinating with the government or the international coalition".

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:31

Last night and this morning, another large-scale, combined Russian missile and drone attack was carried out on Ukraine.

Missiles launched:

~8 Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from OTRK installations northwest of Klintsy, Bryansk Oblast.

~7 Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from OTRK installations south of Pochep, Bryansk Oblast.

~4 Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from OTRK installations in the vicinity of Taganrog, Rostov Oblast.

~12 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from 4 Tu-95MS strategic bombers at their launch lines near the village of Uzmore, Saratov Oblast.

~9 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from 3 Tu-95MS strategic bombers at their launch lines in western Penza Oblast.

~2 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched from ground-based installations at Cape Chauda, Crimea.

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Total missiles launched:

~19 Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
~21 Kh-101 cruise missiles.
~2 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.

~42 missiles in total.

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Ukrainian air defence work:

As of the time of writing, it appears that Ukrainian air defence was able to intercept at least 11 Iskander-Ms and 7 Kh-101s.

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The main targets for this strike was Ukrainian energy and defence industry infrastructure. The following was targeted:

"Zakhidna" 330 kV electrical substation, Kyiv Oblast (50.46635, 30.25184) by ~9 Kh-101s.

Unknown target southeast of Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast by ~5 Kh-101s.

Dnepropress Heavy Hydraulic Press Plant, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (48.39373, 35.00303) by ~4 Iskander-Ms.

CHP-6 Combined Heat and Power Plant, Kyiv Oblast (50.53188, 30.66309) by ~2 Iskander-Ms.

CHP-4 Combined Heat and Power Plant, Kyiv Oblast (50.44693, 30.64255) by ~2 Iskander-Ms.

Unknown target southeast of Vinnytsia City, Vinnytsia Oblast by ~2 Zircons.

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Keep in mind, the numbers of missiles launched may be slightly higher than what I've listed, as the number of missiles detected is sometimes lower than actual launches.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:24

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾 — The Kurds of Turkey continue to cross into Syrian territory via the Nusaybin border crossing

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 14:15

#BREAKING
🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — Women from the foreigner side of al-Hol camp reportedly broke though the barrier between their side and the Syrian and Iraqi side.

Geopolitics Watch

20 January 2026 13:58

🇸🇾❌🇸🇾❌🏴 — Footage from inside al-Hol camp these moments.