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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.

Latest News

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

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)

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

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

Members of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement, march in Gaza City on May 22, 2021, in commemoration of senior Hamas commander Bassem Issa who was killed along with other militants in Israeli airstrikes last week.

US imposes sanctions on Hamas' envoy to Iran, IRGC trainers

The sanctions targeting Hamas and its benefactors in Iran followed the Pentagon's announcement of airstrikes targeting Iran-linked facilities in eastern Syria.

Smoke and fire rise from buildings as people gather amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Gaza City on Oct. 26, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

Day 21 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Oct. 27

A F18 Hornet fighter jet prepares to land on the deck of a US navy aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, May 8, 2018.

US launches airstrikes on Iran militia facilities in Syria

President Joe Biden authorized the F-16 strikes in a bid to put a halt to nearly 20 drone attacks targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria over the past week as Washington and Iran trade warnings amid Israel's impending invasion of Gaza.

Jared Szuba

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

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan is seen on a TV monitor.

Israel considers denying visas for UN officials

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejects Israel's claim that he justified the Hamas attacks.

Graves are made ready to receive the new dead in the cemetery in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

Gaza turns to ‘graveyard’ as bombing, siege intensify

Despite the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, the UN Security Council has yet to pass a resolution that would bring a sliver of hope to the Gazan population.

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas delegation arrives in Russia

Russia maintains cordial relations with Hamas as well as Israel and other actors in the Gaza conflict. The discussions with Hamas in Moscow focused on the release of foreign hostages.

Israel says it is seeking to totally destroy Gaza's Hamas rulers after the deadly October 7 attacks which caused the worst bloodshed in Israel's history

Day 20 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Oct. 26

Israeli soldiers prepare a tank near the border between Israel and Lebanon on Oct. 16, 2023, in Shlomi, Israel.

Hamas threatens 'hell on earth' in event of Israeli ground invasion

Israel has amassed troops and military equipment in preparation for its ground offensive on Gaza, while Palestinian factions have further warned that the Israeli army would incur more losses should it invade Gaza.

Gaza refugees

‘They have no answers’: Americans trapped in Gaza wait for US help

Hundreds of US citizens are stranded in the Gaza Strip despite a US-led diplomatic effort to open the border to aid deliveries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Oct. 25, 2023.

Qatar ‘hopeful’ about hostage talks with Hamas as Turkey warns of regional shockwaves

As Qatar expresses hope for the release of more Israeli hostages, Turkey’s top diplomat has warned Israel against a ground invasion.

Gaza journalists

At least 24 journalists, majority Palestinians, killed in Israel-Hamas war

The number of journalists killed in the Israel-Hamas war in three weeks already exceeds the number of journalists killed in Ukraine in the year and half since Russia invaded, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Erdogan

Turkey’s Erdogan hails Hamas as liberators, leaving detente with Israel in shreds

The Turkish president's speech on Wednesday aligned himself more firmly with the Sunni Muslim world, while pushing aside the benefits of closer ties with Israel and other regional economies.