“Casualties are increasing as Turkey presses on with its cross-border offensive on Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria. At least 11 civilians have died and dozens of fighters from the Kurdish-led SDF and pro-Turkish factions have been killed.” BBC on Turkey’s Syria offensive.

+ “Trump abandons allies without blinking … The entire balance of power in the Middle East is built on a very delicate web of supports, pressures, understandings and agreements — and Trump is unraveling that web.” WaPo: Israelis see Trump’s Syria pullout as a ‘betrayal’ that could help unravel the region. (Imagine how the Kurds feel.)