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Politics & Security

Ozgu Ozel

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya,one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara.

Visitors stand inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14, 2025.

Russian couple faces deportation from Turkey after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia

The couple were detained after reading from the Bible inside the Istanbul landmark, which remains one of Christianity’s most important historic sites despite its conversion into a mosque.

BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 13: Lebanese people wave flags and hold portraits of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (not pictured) as he arrives in southern suberb of Beirut on October 13, 2010 in Lebanon. The controversial visit is seen as a boost for key ally Hezbollah. According to reports Mr Ahmadinejad may visit the border with Israel - the site of recent deadly clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)

Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know

The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership.

Latest News

Israel's Netanyahu plans US visit for Trump meeting, Graham memorial

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cornerstone laying ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at an abandon airport in East Jerusalem near the separation wall with the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on July 5, 2026.

Lebanon army enters Palestinian camp ahead of Aoun’s US visit

FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe

A general view of the Iranian Embassy on July 13, 2026, in London, England.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images

Day 35 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Nov. 10

The Iraqi government is trying to avoid becoming a battleground in the Israel-Hamas war as Iran-backed militias continue to attack US forces there, but Baghdad has limited options to deter them.

Analysis

Iraq struggles to thwart Iran proxies' attacks as US ups rhetoric

The Iraqi government is trying to avoid becoming a battleground in the Israel-Hamas war as Iran-backed militias continue to attack US forces there, but Baghdad has limited options to deter them.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

People carry an injured person after Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 7, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

Day 34 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Nov. 9

Gaza hospital

After strikes at Gaza's largest hospital, director appeals for help 'before it's too late'

Officials in Gaza accuse Israel of a systematic plan to destroy the enclave's besieged health sector.

NORTHEASTERN SYRIA - MAY 26: U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter gunners scan the desert while transporting troops on May 26, 2021 over northeastern Syria. U.S. forces, part of Task Force WARCLUB operate from remote combat outposts in northeastern Syria, coordinating with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in combatting residual ISIS extremists and deterring pro-Iranian militia. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

US launches new airstrikes against IRGC facility in Syria as attacks continue

US F-15s bombed a facility in eastern Syria as the Pentagon's Middle East policy director openly warned that the US military may target Iranian IRGC personnel in a bid to halt militia attacks on American troops.

Hostage rally

Hostage deal elusive as US pushes for Gaza pause

US officials are seeking a humanitarian pause in Gaza to help negotiate the release of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas.

People attend a rally in support of the people of Israel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 22, 2023. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza the following day. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP) (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's Mossad helped Brazil foil Hezbollah attack, two arrested

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Mossad played a part in foiling a terror attack in Brazil instigated by Hezbollah.

Journalists carrying placards "No to the censorship law" and "We are journalists" take part in a protest in front of the Constitutional Court in Ankara on Nov. 8, 2023, regarding the law discussed by the Constitutional Court and known to the public as the Censorship Law.

Turkey’s top court upholds controversial media law as EU laments 'democratic backsliding'

The ruling coincided with the release of the EU Commission's annual report which noted “continued deterioration” in the country’s democratic standards, the rule of law, and the independence of the judiciary.

A person walks past signs and notes left outside the office of US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, November 8, 2023. The US House of Representatives voted on November 7 to censure Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, over her comments on the Israel-Hamas war, US media reported. The Democrat was censured by Republicans and some members of her own party in a resolution that passed by 234 votes to 188. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo b

Arab and Muslim Americans decry Rashida Tlaib's censure by House

Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, was censured for her views on the war between Israel and Hamas, including her use of the controversial “from the river to the sea” phrase.

Israeli soldiers restrain Jewish settlers after they stormed the Palestinian West Bank village of Dayr Sharaf, located about four miles from the Jewish Einav settlement, following the death of an Israeli man on Nov. 2, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

At least 163 Palestinians killed in West Bank since Gaza war as Smotrich calls for ‘sterilized’ zones

While Gaza is still burning, the situation in the West Bank and issues concerning the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah continue to be relevant.

A general view taken on Aug. 13, 2017 shows an Islamic State (IS) group poster in the central Syrian town of Al-Sukhnah as pro-government fighters clear the area after taking control of the city situated in the county's large desert area called the Badiya.

At least 34 Syrian soldiers killed in suspected ISIS attack as threat surges

A war monitor said at least 34 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed in an Islamic State attack in the central desert in one of the deadliest assaults by the group this year.

Nescafe

Boycotts in Turkey over Israel’s war in Gaza spread to Coca-Cola, Nescafe

While the Turkish Parliament stopped the sale of certain multinational brands in its cafeterias, several universities have said they will no longer collaborate with Israeli academia until a cease-fire is reached.