Syrian government forces have entered Raqqa as part of their ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria

Banat, an 11th-century palace southeast of the Syrian city of Raqqa, remains one of the area’s most important archaeological

Military takes control of Tabqa in Raqqa governorate, and President al-Sharaa signs a decree recognising Kurdish rights.

Hundreds of Syrians gathered in Al-Naim Square in Raqqa on Sunday to celebrate a ceasefire agreement and the entry of government forces into the city's province.

In the space of two days, the Syrian military, aided by tribal militia, has driven Kurdish forces from wide swathes of northern Syria that they have held for more than a decade.

Government troops drew closer to Raqqa, the largest city overseen by the Kurds, raising U.S. concerns about the renewal of a wider conflict in the region.

Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said early on Sunday that government forces had secured Tabqa and the nearby Euphrates Dam, Syria’s largest, after expelling fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), labelled a “terrorist” group by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States.

Fierce clashes have erupted in Syria’s northeastern Raqqa province between Syrian forces -- backed by local residents and tribes -- and YPG/SDF terrorists, while the number of civilians killed by sniper fire from the group rose to four.

Washington is caught between preventing a collapse of its Kurdish partners’ self-ruling enclave and supporting the Syrian president’s bid to consolidate control over the rest of the country.

RAQQA, Syria, Jan 19 - Syrian government troops tightened their grip on Monday across a swathe of northern and eastern territory abruptly abandoned the previous day by Kurdish forces, in a dramatic shift that consolidated President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule.