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Turkey

Turkey

August 23, 2026

Ankara 12:21 am

23°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

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu speech during a meeting to discuss cooperation on migration management in Ankara, Turkey, October 3, 2019.

Top Turkish minister fights corruption allegations from exiled mafia boss

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said he would not resign and defended his record against allegations by an exiled mafia boss whose wide-spanning YouTube confessions have gripped Turkish politics.

Senior US State Department official Joey Hood delivers a statement in Tripoli during a visit to Libya, in a show of support for the country's transitional government, May 18, 2021.

Turkey touts assassination of top PKK militant as retribution to US

The Turkish media has trumpeted the killing of a high-ranking PKK militant by Turkish security forces in northern Iraq as a reprisal of the US support of the Syrian Kurdish groups, while Turkey seems to be a major blockade before Syrian Kurds’ desire for political recognition.

The Saudi Arabia's consulate is cordoned off by Turkish police in Istanbul on Oct. 15, 2018.

Turkish police detain top Islamic State leader in Istanbul

A senior Islamic State operative has been arrested in Istanbul following a tip from US intelligence services.

WhatsApp denies privacy update will not apply in Turkey

There were reports in Turkish media that Facebook-owned messaging service's controversial privacy update, following a backlash, would not come to Turkey.

Soylu and Erdogan

Erdogan in hot spot as Turks question 'mafiazation' of politics

Erdogan risks a major political setback unless he manages to contain an unprecedented scandal sparked by a mobster claiming close links with government figures.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish court begins retrial of philanthropist Osman Kavala

Businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has remained in prison without a conviction since 2017, was denied release on Friday.

Turkish President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling AK Party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT), in Ankara, on April 21, 2021.

Israel-Hamas conflict exposes Turkey’s irrelevance in region

Turkey’s apparent exclusion from cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas shows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy is in tatters.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Will Turkey’s Grey Wolves land on EU terror list

The European Parliament’s annual report on Turkey suggests placing Turkey’s far-right Grey Wolves on the EU terrorist list.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

European Parliament calls for suspension of Turkey accession talks

In a critical report, the European Parliament has suggested suspending Turkey’s long-stalled EU accession negotiations unless negative domestic and foreign policy trends are reversed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a protest rally in Istanbul on May 18, 2018, against the recent killings of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza-Israel border and the US Embassy move to Jerusalem.

The Takeaway: Erdogan’s incendiary remarks about Israel worsen ties with Washington

The fallout of the Turkish president’s comments could compound problems for country’s beleaguered economy; Israel-Palestinian frictions dominate region’s news; Libya’s mercenaries; and more!

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on April 21, 2021.

US condemns Erdogan remarks toward Israel as anti-Semitic

The US State Department Tuesday condemned comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as anti-Semitic, a claim Ankara officials refuted and said distracts from ongoing violence in Israel.

Sedat Peker is seen in a video uploaded to YouTube May 16, 2021.

How an exiled mafia boss became the center of Turkish politics

An ultranationalist mafia boss, Sedat Peker, who had connections with the ruling elite for decades, now wages war against top officials with his camera and tripod from abroad.