The Russian-Kurdish collaboration in Deir ez-Zor shows that after the United States, Russia, too, will be standing in the way of Turkey's efforts to block out Syria’s Kurds.
The Syrian government’s decision to quit peace talks last week was an embarrassment to its main supporter Russia, which wants both sides to reach a deal quickly, opposition spokesman Yahya al-Aridi said on Monday. - Reuters
The growing presence of Iran in Syria, combined with attacks against a missile plant and a base for Iranian forces, indicate that Israel and Iran are practically already at war.
Russian military officials in Syria announced Monday that Kurdish factions have agreed to protect a Russian task force operating on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Officers from the Russian Center for Reconciliation together with representatives of the local authorities are working in the area on "ways to create conditions for the return of civilians and humanitarian aid deliveries to the areas," according to Moscow. The co-chairman of the Committee for Governance of the Eastern Euphrates Territories, Mahmoud Nuri, said Kurdish militias have been "effectively fighting against the Islamic State under the Russian command." The committee held its first meeting Sunday in Deir ez-Zor province. Read More
By Kimberly Dozier, The Cipher Brief: “The Trump administration wants you to know that Syrian strongman Bashar Assad isn’t doing as well as he or his Russian and Iranian allies want you to think, and that’s why they’re going to have to agree to some concessions at U.N.-sponsored talks in Geneva, rather than retaking the country as Assad has vowed to do.”
By Mohammed Ayoob, The Strategist (ASPI): “A major reason for the deteriorating security situation is that the defeat of ISIS coincided with greater consolidation of the Assad regime’s control over parts of Syria. All players in the region see this as a victory for Iran, Assad’s principal supporter, and a defeat for its regional rival, Saudi Arabia, which had been a major supporter of the anti-Assad forces.”