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

Turkey

Turkey

August 21, 2026

Ankara 12:21 pm

28°C

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.

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.

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said state oil giant TPAO and private companies are ready to explore for oil and gas onshore and offshore in Syria.

Latest News

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

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

Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

Analysis

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

Fireworks explode over Islamabad

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

People stand in front of a exchange office at Laleli in Istanbul, on March 22, 2021.

Turkish lira drops to near record lows after Central Bank trims policy rate

The move came following pressure from the Turkish president.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the annual gathering in New York City for the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2021.

In New York, Erdogan plays to domestic audience

Erdogan's New York trip was mainly aiming to boost his dwindling support at home, yet the trip has apparently failed to achieve its main objective.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Bowing to Erdogan’s pressure, Turkish Central Bank makes risky rate cut

Turkey’s Central Bank has delivered a rate cut long sought by the president, who's counting on stimulating economic growth to patch up his sagging popular support.

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) stand next to a wall bearing the Islamic State (IS) group flag as they enter the city of al-Qaim, in Iraq's western Anbar province near the Syrian border as they fight against remnant pockets of Islamic State group jihadists on Nov. 3, 2017.

How an Islamic State suspect lived as a shopkeeper in Turkey

The Turkish judiciary’s weakness in dealing with Islamic State suspects comes under the spotlight after a bombshell report on how a Syrian man suspected of ordering the burning to death of two Turkish soldiers in 2016 walked free from court and lived as a shopkeeper in Turkey.

A volunteer rests as flames rise from a forest burning in the background near Akcayaka, a town in the Mugla province, on Aug. 6, 2021.

After summer of severe floods and fires, Turkey to ratify Paris Agreement

In his address at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the Paris Climate Agreement would be submitted to Turkey’s parliament for approval next month.

A student sleeps in front of Gumushane University in Gumushane, Turkey, Sept. 20, 2021.

Turkish university students camp in parks to protest rent hikes

Citing trouble finding affordable housing ahead of the fall semester, student groups across Turkey are organizing campout events in protest of rising rental prices.

Syrian Kurds carry flags and a portrait of Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan as they demonstrate on June 10, 2021, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, against the Turkish offensive on PKK areas in northern Iraq.

Turkey's latest attack on PKK militant in Iraqi Kurdistan meant as show of strength

In recent months, Turkish drones have picked off a string of mid-level commanders in Iraqi Kurdistan and northeast Syria.

Turkish protest

Turkish civic groups protest abductions, forced disappearances

Civic groups and legal experts say reports of abduction and forced disappearances of opposition party members are on the rise.

Hevra Synagogue

Turkish synagogues get makeover as Izmir strives for UNESCO stamp

An ambitious effort to revive Izmir’s Jewish heritage is paying off as the Turkish city vies for a place on the UNESCO heritage list.

Idlib

Turkey’s blind eye to jihadis worsens its predicaments in Syria

Turkey is seeking to downplay the jihadi threat that its troops face in Idlib, the last Islamist stronghold in Syria, opting to turn the spotlight to the Kurds instead.

US Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I light candles during Biden's visit to the Church of St. George on Nov. 23, 2014 in Istanbul.

Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew I set to meet Biden at White House

The patriarch will also meet Ankara's US ambassador while in Washington.

AFP via Getty Images

Ankara calls on EU to help Afghanistan’s neighbors

Turkey's president told German President Steinmeier that the EU member states should provide swift assistance to Afghanistan’s neighbors to cope with irregular migration.