Newsletter: Daily Briefing Syria, Israel hold US-mediated talks Pakistan’s Munir arrives in Tehran; major UAE economic delegation to visit Beirut; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
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. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
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. By Ezgi Akin , Rina Bassist
Newsletter: Turkey Turkey's Mecca Pact strategy By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran dismisses Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’ threat By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Clashes in northern Syria drift from Idlib to Aleppo As the Idlib escalation winds down to a stalemate between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and Turkish troops, the clashes are shifting to Aleppo. Syria
Turkey orders continued detention of philanthropist Kavala following acquittal A Turkish court has acquitted philanthropist Osman Kavala and eight others of seeking to overthrow the government, but Istanbul’s chief prosecutor has ordered his continued detention on charges stemming from a separate case also pertaining to his supposed involvement in the failed 2016 coup. Turkey
Turkey's opposition parties call for dialogue with Assad Turkey's opposition parties have called on the Turkish government to engage in dialogue with Damascus administration to prevent further Turkish casualties in Idlib. Syria
Why is Turkish Cypriot leader declared ‘enemy’ in Turkey? The leader of the Cypriot Turks angered Ankara in October for criticizing the Turkish incursion into Syria, but all hell has broken loose since he recently said that any move by Turkey to annex Northern Cyprus would be a “horrible” prospect. Turkey
Ancient, modern cultures still mingle in central Erbil's Ottoman masterpieces Erbil's citadel and grand central market are living examples of the city's cultural heritage, which is both distinctly Ottoman and shaped by its local setting. Iraq
Syrian army makes gains in Idlib, opposition blames Turkey Syrian opposition groups wonder what value the Turkish observation posts and the Turkish army have in Idlib, as the Syrian regime forces make great advances in the area. Syria
Dar al-Ifta joins in Egypt-Turkey culture war Amid heightened tensions between Cairo and Ankara, culture is emerging as the new battlefront as each party offers its own version of the Ottoman era. Saudi Arabia
Is Turkey planning to curb radicals in Idlib under strategy shift? In a scenario that invokes its Afrin operation in 2018, Ankara speaks of reining in radical groups and asserting field control in Idlib, hoping that Moscow will give it a nod to avoid war. Syria
Turkish MPs make Washington charm offensive as Ankara-Moscow ties strain A Turkish delegation arrives in Washington to find a way forward for US-Turkish relations. Turkey
Syrian shelling in Idlib knocks out dozens of medical facilities The opposition in Idlib province accuses Syrian and Russian warplanes of deliberately shelling hospital and medical facilities in the province and its surroundings, pushing thousands to flee. Syria
Why is Egypt seeking African military force? President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has proposed during the African Union Summit the formation of a joint African military force to confront terrorism, as part of Cairo’s efforts to boost its presence on the African continent. Egypt