US, Russian Forces Mobilize in NE Syria

Fighters of the Syrian opposition factions loyal to Turkey during training exercises in the countryside of Manbij city in Aleppo (AFP)
Fighters of the Syrian opposition factions loyal to Turkey during training exercises in the countryside of Manbij city in Aleppo (AFP)
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US, Russian Forces Mobilize in NE Syria

Fighters of the Syrian opposition factions loyal to Turkey during training exercises in the countryside of Manbij city in Aleppo (AFP)
Fighters of the Syrian opposition factions loyal to Turkey during training exercises in the countryside of Manbij city in Aleppo (AFP)

In northeastern Syria, US and Russian forces mobilized with the aim to deter Turkey from carrying out a new attack against the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). While US forces moved on the ground, Russian warplanes scrambled in the air.

A prominent Kurdish official in northern Syria revealed that Kurdish forces are in intensive contact with the countries involved in the Syrian crisis, especially those in the Arab world.

The official explained that they are looking to put an end to Turkish interference in Syrian affairs.

The civil and military administration in the city of Manbij in the eastern countryside of Aleppo governorate has documented the outcome of the attacks on its areas of influence, warning that the Turkish operation will lead to the displacement of the indigenous population and the city’s religious, sectarian and ethnic components.

Turkey’s armed incursion into Syrian territory “will prolong the Syrian crisis and increase its complexity, in addition to destabilizing areas and giving an opportunity for ISIS cells to reorganize themselves again,” Abdulkarim Omar, head of the Kurdish department of foreign relations, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We are communicating with the international community and the countries concerned with the Syrian war, especially inside the Arab world, to play a role in resolving the Syrian crisis at the expense of the growing Turkish and Iranian role,” said Omar.

“Turkey and Iran have special agendas and interests that are far from the interests of the Syrian people, their values, principles and revolution,” he explained.

Omar called on the international community to pressure Turkey to curb its attacks, warning that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's project for Syria will lead to a demographic change in the north of the country.

Turkey plans to resettle a million displaced Syrians after their voluntary return to their country.

As for field developments, a US force toured the front lines in the town of Tamer in the northern Hasakah governorate.

In contrast, the Russian army reinforced the presence of its ground and air forces at the airport of Qamishli city in Hasakah.



Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Settlers Torched Cars in Ramallah

Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)
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Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Settlers Torched Cars in Ramallah

Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)

Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers were behind an attack in which several cars were torched overnight just a few kilometers (miles) away from the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

No one was wounded in the attack overnight into Monday in Al-Bireh, a city adjacent to Ramallah, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is headquartered. An Associated Press reporter counted 18 burned-out cars.

Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have surged since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel.

But attacks in and around Ramallah, home to senior Palestinian officials and international missions, are rare.

The Palestinian Authority, which administers population centers in the territory, condemned the attack. Israeli police, who handle law enforcement matters involving settlers in the West Bank, said they were investigating.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state. The territory’s 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy over less than half of the territory.

Over 500,000 Jewish settlers with Israeli citizenship live in scores of settlements across the West Bank, which most of the international community considers illegal.