BBC News, the Telegraph and Reuters report that Kurdish-led forces in north-east Syria have accused Turkish troops and allied Syrian militias of violating a ceasefire deal. The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said there had been attacks on the frontline near the town of Ras al-Ain. He urged the truce guarantors – the US and Russia – to “rein in the Turks”. Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry said Kurdish fighters in the SDF were pulling back from the Turkish border.

The Guardian, Times and Reuters report that the US is planning to deploy tanks and other heavy military hardware to protect oil fields in east Syria. The most likely destination for US armoured units is a Conoco gas plant near Deir Ezzor. Fox News reported such a deployment was “likely” and that the tanks would come from units already in the Middle East. CNN said it would happen relatively soon.

The FT reports that US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has castigated Turkey for its “unwarranted” invasion of north-east Syria. Esper said Ankara was “heading in the wrong direction” in Nato after its tilt towards Russia, in remarks that laid bare divisions in the military alliance.

Reuters reports that Turkey has lambasted the US for treating SDF commander General Mazloum Kobani as a “legitimate political figure”. Republican and Democratic senators have urged the State Department to provide a visa to the commander allowing him to visit the US to discuss the situation in Syria.

Sky News reports that serving and former military and security officials have warned that the IS threat to the UK and Europe will increase following President Trump’s decision to withdraw US forces from Syria. The departure will hamper the ability of US and other coalition troops and intelligence officers to keep track of extremist suspects in the region.

Reuters reports that German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has presented to NATO her proposal for a security zone in northern Syria, receiving support from Turkey and the US but a warning from the alliance’s chief that it may need to UN involvement.

In the Independent, Bel Trew writes that “Syrians on both sides of divisive war fearful of Turkey-Russia deal”.

The FT argues that Russian President Vladimir Putin “can thank Donald Trump for his triumph in Syria”.

The Guardian reports that Amnesty International has documented at least 20 cases of forced illegal deportations by Turkish authorities. Turkey is host to an estimated 3.6 million Syrian refugees, a domestic political headache for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In the Guardian, Michael Safi interviews five brothers “ravaged by Syria’s war”: “The brothers haven’t seen each other since 2012. Their story highlights the deteriorating plight of Syrian refugees”.

BBC News and the Guardian report that a British man who fought with a Kurdish militia against IS has been found guilty of attending a terrorist training camp. He denied terror offences but was found guilty at a retrial at the Old Bailey of attending a camp in Iraq where the banned PKK group was present.

The Times reports that Shamima Begum has stated that she fears ‘”psychotic Isis women” in al-Roj camp: “I am scared, really scared […] I am afraid I could die here. The camp is very tense. We don’t know what is going on. When the Turkish offensive began many of the women here waited to take advantage of it to hurt those who had left Isis”.

Reuters reports that Saudi Minister of State Adel al-Jubeir has insisted that a policy of appeasement would not work with Iran and that the only way to get Tehran to the negotiating table was to apply maximum pressure.

The Independent reports that Iran has executed at least 12 child offenders since the start of 2018 while at least 90 are currently sitting on death row awaiting their punishment.

The Guardian reports that a former Miss Iran has spent a week in a Philippines airport aiming to claim asylum, saying she fears execution in Iran on politically motivated charges.

Reuters reports that a top Democratic senator has questioned whether President Trump interfered with a criminal investigation of Turkey’s Halkbank, which has been accused of conspiring to evade US sanctions against Iran.

Reuters reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has claimed that people can demonstrate at imminent anti-government protests on Friday, but warned that violence would not be tolerated.

The Times reports that a rare Islamic coin that dates from the first Dynasty of Islam (AD723) was sold at auction for £3.72m yesterday. The Islamic Umayyad dinar bears a short line of text: “Ma’din Amir al-Mu’minin bi’l-Hijaz” meaning “Mine of the Commander of the Faithful in the Hijaz”.

The FT interviews unemployed young people in Lebanon partaking in protests that have paralysed the country since last week.

Reuters reports that the UK embassy in Lebanon has tweeted that the “legitimate frustrations” of protesters should be heard and reforms enacted urgently.

In the Independent, Robert Fisk contends that “the Lebanese uprising won’t change anything while sectarian elites cling to power”.

The Economist argues that the problems in Lebanon “start with a rotten political system”: “their grievances are almost too many to list: electricity shortages, undrinkable water, collapsing infrastructure, a poisoned environment”.

In the Spectator, Ian Birrell reviews The Killing in the Consulate: Investigating the Life and Death of Jamal Khashoggi by Jonathan Rugman.

Reuters reports that Lahav Shani (30) will replace Zubin Mehta (83) as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Coalition talks start on Sunday

All the Israeli media report the political posturing ahead of talks next week. Blue and White and Likud will meet on Sunday but Maariv reports that Likud say they represent the entire 55-seat right wing bloc, contrary to Blue and White’s position, that the bloc be dismantled and that the Likud act on its own. The paper notes Blue and White is also planning talks within the centre-left bloc in order to signal to the Likud that Gantz has an option of a minority government. Channel 12 news reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu hosted a 70^th birthday toast at his office yesterday and all the MKs from the right-wing religious bloc were invited apart from Ayelet Shaked, Naftali Bennett and Gideon Saar.

Iran planned terror attack in Albania

The Israeli media report that Albanian police have discovered an Iranian paramilitary network that allegedly planned attacks in Albania against exiled members of an Iranian group seeking to overthrow the government in Tehran. Albanian Police Chief Ardi Veliu said the foreign wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Quds Force, operated an “active terrorist cell.” A police statement alleged that two senior Iranian security officials commanded the cell from Tehran. It also said the network was allegedly linked with organised crime groups in Turkey.

Mystery flight to Riyadh

The Israeli media report the story of a US registered, unidentified private plane that departed from Ben-Gurion Airport, landed in Amman for a few minutes before continuing its journey to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Tuesday evening.  About an hour later the plane returned to Israel. There are rumours that a senior Israeli was on board who held a short private meeting with a senior Saudi official. The Jerusalem Post asks if Netanyahu was on board and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

Virgin Atlantic flies to Israel

The Israeli media report that Richard Branson few to Israel on the first Virgin Atlantic flight to Tel Aviv. On arrival he kissed the ground, after he was told of the tradition when arriving in the Holy Land. He took the opportunity to acquaint himself with the Israeli high tech scene and hinted at more investments saying: “We have invested in both Israel and Palestine. When we start flying our airline to a country, on the back of that, other Virgin companies follow and are involved in lots of different areas. I’m sure we’ll be investing much more in the years to come.”