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Turkey

Turkey

August 22, 2026

Ankara 5:17 pm

35°C

Turkey/Syria border

Analysis

Turkey bets on US deconfliction as Israel widens Syria red lines

As Washington pushes a new deconfliction mechanism between Turkey and Israel, the Jewish state shows little incentive to accept tighter constraints on its freedom of action in Syria, experts say.

Ezgi Akin

Rina Bassist

By Ezgi Akin , Rina Bassist

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.

Latest News

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

Burhaanettin Duran

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.

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

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

Ankara mulls ambitious but risky engagement with Taliban

The Turkish government is eyeing a more independent — and riskier — role in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s blitz takeover of Kabul sidelined the United States earlier than expected.

Ethiopian president visits Turkish parliament

Turkey views ties with Ethiopia as key to influence in Africa

Turkey’s quest for normalization with Egypt and a new beginning with Sudan hinges on how far Ankara takes its relations with Ethiopia amid a simmering water dispute in the region over Ethiopia’s mega dam on the Nile.

A masked Turkish special force police officer detains two men during a house raid to arrest suspected members of the Islamic State group, in Adana, on Nov. 10, 2017.

Islamic State suspects use Turkey’s remorse law to get off the hook

Taking advantage of the Turkish judicial system and the political climate besieging it, Islamic State suspects often receive sentence reductions under repentance provisions, even if they feign regret.

Bozkurt flood damage

Death toll rises to 74 as floods batter Turkey's Black Sea coast

More than 2,300 people have been evacuated since the flash floods erupted in northern Turkey on Wednesday.

A woman receives a dose of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 at the Ankara City Hospital, in Ankara, Turkey, on June 7, 2021.

Turkey to offer Pfizer boosters for vaccinated travelers

Turkey will begin providing additional Pfizer jabs to fully vaccinated travelers wishing to visit countries that don't accept the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine.

Turkey's Zehra Gunes (C) and Ebrar Karakurt (R) attempt to block a shot in the women's quarter-final volleyball match between South Korea and Turkey during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 4, 2021.

Turks rally around Olympic volleyball star attacked over sexuality

When a member of Turkey's Olympic volleyball team faced online abuse after posting intimate photos of herself with a woman on Instagram, Turks of all stripes spoke up in her defense.

Erdogan and Raisi

Turkey sees opportunity in Iran-West faceoff under Raisi

Raisi’s hard-line approach may further sharpen disagreements between Ankara and Tehran over Syria and Iraq, but Ankara also sees new opportunities under the new Iranian leadership.

Demiroren News Agency (DHA)/AFP via Getty Images

38 dead as floods ravage Turkey's northern coast

The floods in Turkey's Black Sea region forced more than 1,700 people to evacuate, many of whom are now sleeping in student dorms.

Men smash up shops and homes believed to be owned by Syrian families during an unrest, in Ankara, on Aug. 12, 2021 overnight.

Syrian homes, businesses destroyed in Turkish capital amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment

At least 76 people have been detained in connection with the rampage.

Idlib protest

New UN report on Islamic State gives Ankara another headache

Security Council report red flags Uyghur diaspora in Turkey as a recruitment source for jihadi networks in Syria and Afghanistan.

ARIF AKDOGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s defense minister discusses Afghan security in visit to Pakistan

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested yesterday he may meet with Taliban leadership.

2017 defense fair in Istanbul

Turkey to host international defense fair

Some of the companies that will present weapons at the fair are from countries Turkey has difficult relations with.