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Turkey

Turkey

August 24, 2026

Ankara 1:30 pm

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A Turkish soldier from the 1st Border Regiment Command looks out over the border wall to Syria during alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey.

Analysis

Why Turkey sees Israeli strikes in Syria as warning over its military role, Mecca Pact

Ankara views Israel’s latest strikes in Syria as part of a broader effort to curb Turkey’s military influence in Damascus and a challenge to its regional defense partnerships.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Latest News

Turkey seeks Interpol Red Notices for Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla

Murat Kocabas / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

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

A Turkish policeman stands guard outside the courthouse in Istanbul on March 28, 2019, during the trial of Metin Topuz, an US consulate staffer accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government. - Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 and has been accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Ankara gives police access to military, intelligence assets to crush protests

A presidential decree has paved the way for Turkish police to use military and intelligence resources to crack down on public protests.

What can Turkey expect from Qatari-Gulf deal?

Turkey feels vindicated as al-Ula Declaration ends the blockade against Qatar.

Students demonstrate against the direct appointment Bogazici university's new rector by Turkish President, on January 4, 2021 in front of the University in Istanbul. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Why Erdogan needs to conquer Bogazici University

Historical Bogazici University has long been an ivory tower out of the control of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Pro-Trump supporters storm the US Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Turkey awash with schadenfreude over Capitol takeover

A large number of Turks feel deep animosity toward the United States, and as sense of just desserts prevails as the world reels from yesterday's rioting in the Capitol.

Demonstrators chant slogans as they march with a giant Palestinian flag on May 31, 2018 at Istiklal avenue in Istanbul, to mark the 8th anniversary of a deadly raid on Turkish-registered Mavi Marmara - part of a flotilla of six vessels seeking to break Israel's blockade and enter Gaza. - The crowd has gathered in iconic Istiklal avenue under the banner of the pro-Islamic Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), one of the organisers of the flotilla that tried to break an Israeli sea blockade of the Hamas-contr

Israel side-eyes Turkish offers of friendship as Ankara shelters Hamas

Turkey’s overtures to Israel have been greeted with bemusement and contempt while hundreds of Hamas operatives remain in Istanbul.

Jens, a 5 years-old boy diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), walks with a new Marsi Bionics exoskeleton designed for children at Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona on November 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENA (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s political divide spills over to treatment of critically ill infants

Children suffering from a deadly neuromuscular disorder have found themselves at the heart of political polarization in Turkey after the opposition called for extra funds for their ultra-expensive treatment.

Intel: Biden to pick Brett McGurk for top White House Middle East role

Picking the former defeat-ISIS envoy to oversee US Middle East policy sends a strong signal to Turkey.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) review a guard of honor during an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 7, 2019. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine deports suspected Gulen supporters to Turkey

Turkey’s Interior Ministry announced the deportation Wednesday of two suspects from Ukraine over alleged ties to a terror group in what human rights advocates condemn as illegal renditions without due process.

Uighurs living in Turkey stage a demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the deadly ethnic unrests of 1997 in Gulja, China's far-western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, in Ankara on February 5, 2020. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Erdogan’s China woes: the vaccine and the Uighurs

Turkey’s reliance on China for a COVID-19 vaccine has stirred anxiety in nationalist and Islamist quarters that Ankara might give concessions on the Uighur issue in return.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a statement after chairing the cabinet meeting in Ankara, on December 14, 2020. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey draws road map with Egypt, but will Cairo follow it?

Turkey is once again hinting at openness for dialogue with Egypt, but real progress remains elusive.

Students chant slogans and hold placards on January 4, 2021 in front of the Bogazici University in Istanbul during a protest against the direct appointment of the new rector to Bogazici university by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey arrests students protesting Erdogan's university head pick

Police raided the homes of at least 17 students after they protested the Turkish president's appointment to lead a top university in what supporters say was a blatant and violent attempt to crush their dissent.

Students protest appointment of Erdogan loyalist to head top Turkish university

Students and faculty members decried infringements on academic independence during protests Monday after a member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was appointed by presidential decree to head one of the nation’s top universities.