Russian Army Chief in Syria Meets Kurds Over Turkey Tensions
Plus: Iranian general says 300 killed in protests, Israeli-Palestinian conflict nearing 'boiling point,' FTX chaos prompts reckoning on Dubai's embrace of crypto giants, and much more.
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Russian army chief in Syria meets Kurds over Turkey tensions
Several sources reported that the chief of Russian forces in Syria, Lt. Gen. Alexander Chaiko, has met with a Kurdish commander Mazloum Abdi over threats by Turkey to launch a new incursion into northern Syria.
Chaiko's trip to the northeast came days after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to order a land invasion of northern Syria targeting Kurdish groups following the explosion in Istanbul that killed six people and wounded dozens in early November.
Russia has called for de-escalation along the Turkey-Syria border.
Read more on the Associated Press.
U.S.-backed force in Syria wants 'stronger' U.S. warning for Turkey
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, November 29, Abdi said he still feared a Turkish ground invasion despite U.S. assurances and demanded a "stronger" message from Washington after seeing unprecedented Turkish deployments along the border.
Syrian Kurdish forces have received backing from Washington for years but have also coordinated with Syria's government and its ally Russia, both seen as foes by the United States.
Iranian general says 300 killed in protests, including 'martyrs'
Iranian General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Monday, November 28, more than 300 people have been killed, including "martyrs" — an apparent reference to security forces personnel.
However, his estimate is lower than the toll reported by the US-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran, which claims 451 protesters and 60 security forces have been killed since the start of the unrest and that more than 18,000 people have been detained.
Iran Arrests Khamenei's Niece After She Condemns 'Murderous Regime'
Farideh Moradkhani, a niece of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on foreign governments to cut ties with the Iranian regime in a video statement released two days after her arrest.
Farideh Moradkhani, a well-known rights activist opposed to the Iranian regime, was arrested on Wednesday, November 28, when she went to the prosecutor's office to serve a court order.
In a video statement shared by her brother Farideh Moradkhani two days later, Farideh Moradkhani called on people around the world to urge their governments to cut ties with the Iranian regime amid protests sweeping the nation, and to ask their governments to "stop any dealings with this regime."
"Oh, free people, be with us and tell your governments to stop supporting this murderous and child-killing regime. This regime is not loyal to any of its religious principles and does not know any laws or rules except force and maintaining its power in any possible way," she said.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict nearing 'boiling point,' U.N. envoy warns
Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland called for stronger international commitment towards the two-State solution and outlined potential ways to move forward.
He reported that high levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months have resulted in grave suffering.
"After decades of persistent violence, illegal settlement expansion, dormant negotiations, and deepening occupation, the conflict is again reaching a boiling point," he said.
In October, the U.N. Mideast envoy said 2022 is on course to be the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the U.N. started tracking fatalities in 2005, and he called for immediate action to calm "an explosive situation" and move toward renewing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
The U.N. says more than 125 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank this year.
World Cup: Violence in Brussels after Morocco beat Belgium
Police used water cannons to disperse crowds in Belgium's capital after the mood turned sour during the country's shock defeat to Morocco at the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, November 27.
Rioters smashed shop windows, threw fireworks, and torched vehicles. Videos posted on social media showed people smashing the windows of a red car before flipping it and setting it alight.
Meanwhile, in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, people spilled into the streets for spontaneous celebrations.
Sunday's victory against Belgium was Morocco's first win at a World Cup since they beat Scotland in 1998.
FTX chaos prompts reckoning on Dubai's embrace of crypto giants
The implosion of FTX, which went from a $32 billion valuation to bankruptcy in the ensuing weeks, sent crypto markets into a tailspin, driving billions of dollars in outflows from some of the biggest global exchanges.
The aftershocks have reverberated particularly hard in the United Arab Emirates, which has been working to lure the world's largest firms with its crypto-friendly policies.
While some financial centers have tightened regulations, the UAE has become a crypto hub, attracting industry heavyweights.
However, the FTX's case and other incidents in the crypto market have prompted a debate over whether authorities were too nimble in their push to lure crypto firms, lending legitimacy to companies that have since gone bust.
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading Inshallah. Share this article and subscribe to be up to date about news from the Middle East every week. It's free.
About me
My name is Dario Sabaghi, a freelance journalist. I am interested in human rights and international news focusing on the MENA region.
Check out my work at dariosabaghi.com.
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Cover photo: AP