The ongoing, anti-regime protests are likely creating fractures among senior regime officials within the Iranian security establishment and may have led to the departure of Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.
Iraqi Kurdistan is at risk of invasion by Turkish forces from the north and Iranian forces from the east.
At least 33 protests took place in 31 cities across 13 provinces on November 18.
Prominent Sunni Cleric Moulana Abdol Hamid continued to criticize the regime's violent protest suppression response on November 18 during his weekly Friday prayer sermon.
Protesters allegedly burned the former home of Islamic Republic Founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Khomein, Markazi Province on November 17.
Details:
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-crisis-update-november-18
IRAN CRISIS UPDATE, NOVEMBER 19
Unverified reporting suggests that the regime deployed the IRGC Ground Forces to violently suppress protests in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province on November 19, marking a violent escalation in the regime’s response to protests.
The number and scale of ongoing, anti-regime protests have intensified and become increasingly violent in recent days.
Protests occurred in at least 20 cities in 10 provinces. 14 protests with 100 or more estimated participants took place in nine cities across six provinces on November 19.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued to blame anti-regime demonstrations on Western actors on November 19.
Israeli combat aircraft conducted airstrikes against multiple Syria Arab Army and IRGC or Iranian proxy militia positions in western Syria on November 19.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-crisis-update-november-19