Orientul Mijlociu

Also, Al-Monitor’s on-the-ground reporting on the security situations in Syria and Iraq, including the impact of the Turkish lira crisis on Idlib.

Islamic State ‘entrenched as low-level insurgency’

The most recent report from the Pentagon’s Inspector General on Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led diplomatic and military operation against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, indicates that IS has weakened but remains a priority for US national security interests in the region.

The Kurdistan Region’s peshmerga forces suffer another attacked by Islamic State fighters.

The Islamic State (IS) attacked Kurdistan Region security forces in northern Iraq again today.

The assault occurred north of Kifri in the Diyala province. There were casualties among the Kurdistan Region’s peshmerga forces, the Erbil-based news outlet Kurdistan 24 reported.

Only the United States can play a significant role in a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, Mazloum Kobane, the commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said.

Noting that the Kurdish question in Turkey impacts Syria, Kobane told the National Interest that the problems of all Kurds are “interconnected and tied to each other.’’

Damascus, SANA-Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals, Manhal Aziz al-Khabbaz affirmed the importance of sharing experiences between Iraq and Syria and benefiting from the advanced Syrian experience in the field of industrial cities and zones.

The Iraqi Minister’s remarks came during a press statement following his arrival in Damascus on Saturday, heading a delegation of businessmen, industrialists, and officials of the industrial cities to participate in the fourth conference of the Arab Union of Cities and Industrial Zones.

The Military Council of SDF has held a meeting with tribes’ dignitaries from al-Hasakah province, in al-Ivan Hall, south of Darbasiyah, to deal with the demands of the people and to consult with tribes’ dignitaries on the release of 850 detainees, arrested by SDF.

Deir Ezzor province: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have monitored new details about the “settlements and reconciliations” deals initiated by the security system, in the presence of branch commanders and high-level intelligence officers, in the city of Deir Ezzor and in the squares in the eastern countryside, a few days ag.

Turkey is facing a severe economic crisis these days, with a 15% devaluation of the Lira against the US dollar in just 24 hours. This has caused dissatisfaction among Turkish citizens since they have lost their purchasing power accordingly, and many of them marched in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, demanding the resignation of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But some of the Iranian media affiliated with the government welcomed this news very much and published it widely. The question is, why is the Iranian regime happy and welcoming the devaluation of the Turkish lira, and how does it benefit from it?

Israel revealed on Friday the name of a Syrian officer who is assisting the Syrian Army in the Golan Heights and is offering aid to Hezbollah’s activities inside a demilitarized zone near the border.

“Bashar al-Hussein, a resident of Homs, is the commanding officer of the Syrian Arab Army 90th Brigade’s reconnaissance company and he serves as the main liaison between Hezbollah’s southern headquarters and the 1st Division of the Syrian [Arab] Army,” the Israeli army said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is preparing to release over 850 detainees arrested on charges of “belonging to ISIS,” mainly from Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah, after mediation by tribal elders.

It is still unknown if all the prisoners will be released at once or in stages.

On September 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that SDF released nine residents from al-Shuaytaat. They were arrested a week earlier from Abu Hamam town in Deir Ezzor’s countryside after they participated in a demonstration protesting SDF’s policies against the people of Deir Ezzor.

On 25 October, violent clashes erupted in western Idleb and the northern Lattakia countryside between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Jund al-Sham and Jund Allah, two smaller jihadi factions composed primarily of foreign fighters. While HTS’s aggressive behaviour against other factions may be driven by Turkish pressure, it can also be seen as an extension of the group’s continuing bid for unchecked dominance over the region. More importantly, it comes amid growing speculation that Turkey will launch another military offensive in northern Syria.