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Turkey

August 25, 2026

Ankara 3:30 am

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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

Latest News

Analysis

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

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)

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

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

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 rocket launches from a S-400 missile system at the Ashuluk military base in Southern Russia on September 22, 2020 during the "Caucasus-2020" military drills gathering China, Iran, Pakistan and Myanmar troops, along with ex-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. - Up to 250 tanks and around 450 infantry combat vehicles and armoured personnel carriers will take part in the September 21 to 26 land and naval exercises that will involve 80,000 people including support staff. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (

Intel: Turkey to test Russian S-400 air defense system amid tensions in NATO

NATO's secretary-general urged Turkey on Monday to seek alternatives to the Russian system, but Turkey plans to test-fire the S-400 this month.

A picture taken on February 5, 2019, shows a general view of the damaged buildings in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. - For decades in the mountainous region of Sinjar in Iraq's diverse north, the lives of many revolved around their lands, but now many Sunni Arab farmers are estranged from their fields out of fear of reprisal attacks. The region, which borders Syria is home to an array of communities -- Shiite and Sunni Arabs, Kurds, and Yazidis -- which formed a patchwork that was ripped apart when the

Turkey targets Yazidi militia in Iraq over PKK links

The Sinjar Resistance Units have been targeted by Turkish forces in Iraq for its connection with the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Facebook rebuffs Turkey’s controversial social media law

Facebook told Turkish civil society members it would not comply with Ankara’s new social media law over concerns it would limit free speech rights, setting the stage for possible fines and access blocks on the platform as other social media companies consider their options.

Canada suspending arms exports to Turkey amid Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he is suspending the permits pending an investigation.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar (R) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) meet in Ankara, on October 05, 2020. (Photo by - / POOL / AFP) (Photo by -/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

NATO chief presses for calm in East Med, cease-fire in south Caucasus

During a visit to Ankara Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced support for de-confliction efforts between Turkey and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean while calling for a cease-fire in the southern Caucasus.

STEPANAKERT, NAGORNO-KARABAKH - OCTOBER 2: Journalists take pictures and video of a crater left by a bomb that fell outside a fire station on October 2, 2020 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. A decades-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has reignited in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized by most countries as part of Azerbaijan, but controlled by ethnic Armenians since a 1994 ceasefire. Dozens have been reported killed in the recent fighting, in which both countries blame the other

Did Erdogan approve Azerbaijan escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh?

The Turkish president is the author of a militarized regional policy that now stretches from the Caucuses to Libya.

Are Turkey's Salafi groups taking up arms?

Reports of increasing private armament among Turkey's Salafi groups have fueled concerns over social peace in Turkey where polarization is rife.

STEPANAKERT, NAGORNO-KARABAKH - OCTOBER 2: An emergency services member stands atop the site of a grass fire started by a bomb that fell nearby on October 2, 2020 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. A decades-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has reignited in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized by most countries as part of Azerbaijan, but controlled by ethnic Armenians since a 1994 ceasefire. Dozens have been reported killed in the recent fighting, in which both countries blame the

Syrian fighters add snarls to tangled south Caucasus

Clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia seem to have taken a dangerous turn with conflicting reports of Turkey bringing in Syrian mercenaries.

Intel: Turkey rejects US, Russia, France call for cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh dispute

The United States, Russia and France called for an immediate cease-fire as the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the mainly Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh entered its fifth day.

Health workers and doctors wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) hold placards reading "You cannot manage, we are dying - We are running out" during a demostration against goverments health policy on September 15, 2020 in front of Istanbul University medical faculty. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish Health Ministry admits to posting partial COVID-19 data

Turkey’s health minister acknowledged Wednesday that state records do not reflect the full number of COVID-19 cases in the country, drawing fire from medical groups that have long claimed infection rates were underreported.

People walk past a screen showing rates at a currency exchange agency near Grand bazaar, in Istanbul, on September 24, 2020. - Turkey's central bank on September 24, 2020 raised its main interest for the first time since September 2018, boosting the rate by two percentage points to help the lira recover from historic lows. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

How much damage can Arab states do to Turkish economy?

As Turkey’s Arab adversaries step up efforts to counter Ankara’s actions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has reportedly started a covert boycott of Turkish goods.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev (L) talks during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on September 1, 2018. (Photo by Alexey DRUZHININ / Sputnik / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey backs Azerbaijan in war with Armenia as Russia stands by

The flare-up between Azerbaijan Armenia may have been planned by Azerbaijan and its regional ally Turkey, leaving Russia's intentions in supporting Turkey and Azerbaijan in question.