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Turkey

Turkey

August 25, 2026

Ankara 1:32 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

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

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan waves outside 10 Downing Street ahead of the NATO summit in London, Britain December 3, 2019. Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS - RC2SND9X4TVF

Erdogan to hold up NATO plan unless allies recognize terror threats against Turkey

Seeking a terror designation for Kurdish forces in Syria, the Turkish president has reaffirmed his threat to block a NATO defense plan for the Baltic nations and Poland as the London summit commences.

Russian and Syrian national flags flutter on military vehicles near Manbij, Syria October 15, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1E8CFB81C0

Intel: How Russia is changing course in Syria

Putin’s Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin traveled to Damascus Dec. 2 to meet with President Bashar al-Assad.

Lavish religious ceremonies in Turkey draw angry criticism

Conservatives' extravagant religious rituals have drawn harsh criticism from every quarter.

DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 25: Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani take part in an agreement signing ceremony, held after inter-delegation working meal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar on November 25, 2019.

(Photo by Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkey sees greater partnership with Qatar than is apparent

Turkey's commercial gains from its partnership with Qatar have been modest and the media fanfare over fresh bilateral accords is hard to comprehend.

Turkish drilling vessel Yavuz is escorted by Turkish Navy frigate TCG Gemlik (F-492) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus, August 6, 2019. Picture taken August 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1256FE7C90

Turkey-Libya agreement shakes up eastern Mediterranean

Ankara is establishing a clear path to fulfill its eastern Mediterranean energy ambitions through an maritime boundary agreement with Libya’s internationally recognized government.

Russian servicemen sit in the cabins of S-400 missile air defence systems in Tverskaya Street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia April 29, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva - RC1E849FD530

Turkey flirts with buying even more Russian missile systems

Turkey seems to be offering a compromise to the United States to avoid sanctions for Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 fighter jets — even as Turkey is in talks to buy more.

Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer won the Best Performance by an Actor award at the 47th International Emmy awards night at New York Hilton on November 25, 2019 in New York City (Photo by Selcuk Acar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Meet the actor who won Turkey's first Emmy Award for best performance

Haluk Bilginer, a veteran actor whose roles range from King Lear to drifters, received an Emmy Award for best acting performance.

Turkey bets on NATO as escape route in S-400 crisis

In a move to buy time, Erdogan is taking the S-400 crisis to NATO grounds, as Ankara’s testing of the Russian-made system the week before a NATO summit shows Ankara still has maneuvering room.

Acrimony erupts ahead of NATO summit as Turkey stalls defense plans

Turkey is impeding a military plan to defend Poland and the Baltics to force the alliance to support its military operation in Syria. The spat underscores political divisions that are shaking NATO ahead of its anniversary summit this week.

Turkish soldiers stand on a watch tower at the Atmeh crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border, as seen from the Syrian side, in Idlib governorate, Syria May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1525F30880

Despite stepped-up military actions, Turkey still faces jihadi threats

Ankara’s past haphazard policies complicate crackdown on IS; Iran hard-liners gain from protests; Syrian Kurds may not give up sales of Syrian oil to Damascus.

Former top Turkish minister promises new party by year-end

Ali Babacan, once a confidant of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says he’s building a mainstream political movement to restore the country’s international reputation and bolster its democratic credentials, but analysts wonder if it can draw enough support to challenge the ruling party.

Turkish-Saudi animosity spills over into cultural sphere

A new multimillion-dollar series on a Saudi TV channel broadcast across the Middle East depicts Ottomans as tyrants who ravaged the Arab world.