Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

August 22, 2026

Ankara 2:45 am

22°C

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 7: U.S. President Donald Trump (L)shakes hands with with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Emrah Gurel - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them

Israeli officials remain skeptical of Turkish and Syrian denials over Ankara’s military ambitions in Syria, warning that a deeper Turkish foothold could threaten Israel’s security and strain its ties with Washington.

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

Murat Kocabas / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey seeks Interpol Red Notices for Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla

The Turkish government’s Interpol move comes amid heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel over Syria.

Burhaanettin Duran

Turkey signals restraint as war of words with Israel escalates over Syria

The Turkish president’s top communications aide says Ankara will not be drawn into the Israeli government's “games” as Washington pushes a Turkey-Israel-Syria deconfliction mechanism.

Latest News

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Analysis

Netanyahu yields to Trump on Gaza, betting Hamas won’t disarm

Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

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

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

Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

Sudan ramps up Saudi Arabia, Turkey contacts amid growing Red Sea cooperation

Sudanese officials held parallel talks in Riyadh and Ankara as Saudi Arabia and Turkey deepen security cooperation around the Red Sea and fighting intensifies in Sudan.

Fireworks explode over Islamabad

Analysis

How Israel's rivalry, defense deals prompted Turkey to join Mecca pact

Turkey’s growing rivalry with Israel and mounting regional instability are driving its defense alignment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite risks of strategic entanglement and friction with NATO partners.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Servicemen of Yavuz class, TCG Turgutreis (F-241), warship stand at attention on the deck as they participate in the live-fire phase of the "Blue Homeland-2026" (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Exclusive

Turkey set to sign charter for Saudi-led Red Sea coalition on Friday

Ankara pledged support for the proposed multinational alliance last month, but Friday’s expected signing will mark its formal entry into the Saudi-led grouping.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

SPA

Explainer

Three ways China benefits from Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact: What to know

The pact points to a more multipolar Middle Eastern security order, one in which Washington is no longer the unquestioned center of Gulf security.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference in Moscow on June 16, 2026.

Analysis

Fidan heads to Egypt amid questions over Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan pact

Conflicting accounts of why Egypt stayed out of the agreement have exposed the competing interests shaping the region’s emerging defense architecture.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, in Tripoli on Aug. 11, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Libya as US-backed unification push gathers pace

The Turkish foreign minister will hold talks in both Tripoli and Benghazi as Ankara seeks to preserve its military, maritime, energy and commercial interests while Washington pushes Libya’s rival camps toward a power-sharing arrangement.