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Turkey

Turkey

May 12, 2026

Ankara 2:32 am

14°C

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

Turkey’s planned test of a 6,000-kilometer missile could boost Ankara’s defense industry prestige, strengthen its deterrence messaging and feed a powerful domestic narrative of technological self-reliance, but it also raises questions about cost, timing and NATO protection.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

Latest News

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

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

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

TOPSHOT - Protestors wave Palestinian flags in front of Israel consulate in Istanbul on May 15, 2018 during a protest against the killing, the day before, of 59 Palestinians in clashes and protests, on the same day as the United States formally moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in defiance of international outrage. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel goes after Turkish projects in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Municipality destroyed a plaque marking Turkey’s contribution to the restoration of a cemetery in the city as Israeli concerns over the Turkish activities in East Jerusalem persist.

TOPSHOT - Police detain a demonstrator during a May Day rally marking the international day of the worker in Istanbul, on May 1, 2020, as the country tries to curb the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19. - Police in Istanbul detained several demonstrators who tried to march toward Istanbul's symbolic Taksim Square to mark May Day in defiance of the lockdown imposed by the government due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Bulent Kilic / AFP) (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish unions threaten general strike over severance pay cuts

Turkish unions are denouncing proposed severance pay cuts that would impact 3.5 million workers, threatening a mass strike if the government does not change course.

Renaissance painting of Ottoman sultan divides Turkish government, opposition

Mehmed the Conqueror is a popular figure among Turks, but the same cannot be said of his 15th century painting.

US President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) take part in a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on November 13, 2019. - President Donald Trump greeted his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House for a high-stakes meeting Wednesday that underlined his claim to be ignoring the impeachment drama unfolding simultaneously in Congress. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Turks lose trust in Russia, warm to US

The Turkish public’s trust in Russia has declined in favor of the United States due to the rising conflicts between Ankara and Moscow over the Libyan and Syrian civil wars, according to a survey.

Is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham doing Turkey’s job in Idlib?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group dominating Idlib, is turning up pressure on radical jihadis, facing accusations of acting at the behest of Turkey.

People wave flags of Libya (R) and Turkey (L) during a demonstration in the Martyrs' Square in the centre of the Libyan capital Tripoli, currently held by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), on June 21, 2020. - The GNA on June 21 denounced Egypt's warning of military intervention in Libya, labelling it a "declaration of war", after the Egyptian President warned that if pro-GNA forces advanced on the strategic city of Sirte -- some 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli -- it could pro

Turkey gears up for tougher challenge in Libya as conflict heats up

Despite cease-fire calls in Libya, Turkey and its allies might be readying for a push toward the strategically important areas of Sirte and al-Jufra next month.

Copies of John Bolton's book 'The Room Where It Happened' are pictured on display at a Barnes and Noble bookstore in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RC24FH9EPVTE

Senior Erdogan aide slams Bolton memoir for depictions of Turkish president

Ankara has criticized the former US national security adviser’s descriptions of President Donald Trump’s discussions with his Turkish counterpart, accusing him of publishing the book for his own personal gain.

Erdogan’s most loyal supporters want to know where the money is

The battle between the haves and the have-nots within the ruling party base is intensifying.

A Turkish soldier stands guard outside the Silivri Prison and Courthouse complex near Istanbul, Turkey March 9, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC15BE5D1D20

Turkish court releases three journalists on trial for revealing state secrets

Journalists stood trial Wednesday for reporting on the funeral of a Turkish intelligence officer killed in Libya in a court case condemned by press freedom advocates.

Sheen Ibrahim, Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) looks for drones operated by Islamic State militants in Raqqa, Syria June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC1D3CB0FA70

Turkish drone strike kills three Kurdish women in Syria

The leader of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces called on the United States and Russian to stop what he called Turkey's "policy of massacres against the Kurds" after last night's drone strike.

Top Turkish lawyers complete protest march after 24-hour standoff

Initially denied entry to Ankara, several dozen heads of Turkish bar associations completed a march against a controversial proposal Tuesday after camping overnight on the capital’s outskirts.

RAMADI, IRAQ: US soldiers take part in a shooting training in the restive city of Ramadi, 100 kms west of Baghdad, 02 December 2004. The United States announced plans to increase its forces in Iraq to their highest levels since last year's invasion, as the country's interim government engaged in a flurry of contacts to rally support for January 30 elections. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

US soldier helped neo-Nazis plan 'mass casualty' attack on own unit in Turkey, feds say

Prosecutors say Ethan Phelan Melzer fed sensitive information about his unit to members of an occult white supremacist organization whose founder once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.