From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Sharaa meets with US envoy, insists on sovereignty over all Syria during advance on Kurds
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GooglePresident Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US envoy Tom Barrack and insists on Syria’s sovereignty across the country, a statement says, as his forces advance against withdrawing Kurdish fighters in the north and east.
Sharaa “affirmed Syria’s unity and sovereignty over all its territory, the importance of dialogue at the current stage and to rebuild Syria with the participation of all Syrians,” a presidency statement says, adding that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also attended the meeting.
Barrack, Sharaa, and Shaybani pic.twitter.com/G2cAfMNQ21
— Aaron Y. Zelin (@azelin) January 18, 2026
A day earlier in Erbil, Barrack met Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, according to the presidency of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The Times of Israel Community.