ALEPPO, Syria — The depreciation of the Turkish lira against the US dollar has aggravated the cost-of-living crisis facing the population of Syria's Idlib province, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in northwestern Syria. The prices of everyday food items, including bread, increased sharply amid overall rises in the cost of living, especially for the poor, who make up the largest segment of Syrians residing in the region. Last year local authorities adopted the Turkish currency for official transactions amid a decline in the value of the Syrian pound.
The Turkish lira continues to lose value against foreign currencies amid expectations that it will continue its decline in value. The lira hit a record low of 13.45 to the dollar on Nov. 23, before slightly recovering to 12.7 to the dollar the same day.
