Orientul Mijlociu

Russia has planned to destabilize the northern and eastern parts of Syria in order to expand its influence there, according to al-Hal Net.

Russia has planned to control areas in northern and eastern Syria for several months, coinciding with Turkey scaling back its military operation in that region. At a time when Russia is now looking into a new campaign to reach the outer reaches of U.S. forces’ control and patrol nearby, a well-crafted plan could have a negative impact on the population of these areas and cause general instability.

The deputy head of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce regretted that while Turkey controls 30% of the Syrian economy, his country only accounts for 3% of trade, according to Baladi News.

“Iran accounts for only 3 percent of the Syrian economy, but Turkey accounts for 30 percent of the country’s trade,” said Mohammad Amirzadeh, deputy head of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce.

Julani, the leader of the HTS, is trying to improve his image to gain credibility in the eyes of the local community as well as in those of the west, according to al-Hal.

Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani is constantly trying to present himself in a positive image and pose as an alternative to the Syrian government. Julani is doing so by presenting a civilian government from his military forces as one that is supportive and serves civilians in areas under the control of the HTS.

The meeting between the Saudi and Syrian intelligence chiefs is a further step to reintegrate Syria’s role in the Arab League — which is opposed by the United States.

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief Gen. Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan met Nov. 13 with his Syrian counterpart Hussam Luka in Cairo, on the sidelines of the Arab Intelligence Forum. This comes as part of the Egyptian efforts to unfreeze Damascus’ membership in the Arab League and end any Arab disputes.

The students are demanding a return of stipends paid to them by the government that were cut during the Islamic State crisis, according to Kurdish media.

Protests by students demanding their stipends continued in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq today.

The depreciation of the Turkish lira against the US dollar has resulted in worsening living conditions in Idlib and increased the people’s resentment against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Salvation Government, which they hold primarily responsible for the economic crisis.

The depreciation of the Turkish lira against the US dollar has aggravated the cost-of-living crisis facing the population of Syria’s Idlib province, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in northwestern Syria. The prices of everyday food items, including bread, increased sharply amid overall rises in the cost of living, especially for the poor, who make up the largest segment of Syrians residing in the region. Last year local authorities adopted the Turkish currency for official transactions amid a decline in the value of the Syrian pound.

The regime will return to the areas under the control of the PYD, in a way similar to what happened in Daraa and under a decentralization formula, Fouad Alteiko writes in Nedaa Post.

The regime has never been far from the area under the control of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, as a result of the understandings that took place between them at that time to hand over the area militarily to the PYD. The links and coordination between the two parties have not been interrupted so far in many areas, especially in the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli, as well as in the regions of al-Shahba, Manbij, and some neighborhoods of Aleppo.

The Turkish regime of Erdogan continues to implement its policies of Turkification in the areas it occupies in northern Aleppo to change its demographic character, especially in the Afrin region.

According to local sources, the Government of the Turkish regime opened a new school in the Rajo district of the northwestern Afrin countryside. They held a large opening ceremony during which Turkish flags were raised mainly above the school. The opening was attended by a number of figures of the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime coming from the State of Kilis, along with a large number of leaders of terrorist organizations and armed militias loyal to Erdogan, in Afrin, according to Athr Press (pro-Syrian government, editor’s note).

The Syrian government exploits Turkish threats to take control over northeast Syria’s regions, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement on Monday.

“The Syrian government is not ready for any political settlement in Syria, and it exploits the deteriorating economic conditions of the people,” the SDF statement added.