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Turkey

Turkey

October 20, 2026

Ankara 2:16 pm

16°C

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkey's defense industry set to hit $20B in new contracts in 2026

The expanding defense industry sector has also become a foreign-policy tool for Ankara, deepening military partnerships with countries including Saudi Arabia.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a press conference in Tehran on November 30, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey turns to Iran to contain Houthis as Saudi defense commitments grow

Ankara is trying to contain the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through Tehran’s help, but Iran may see an advantage in allowing the Houthis to maintain pressure on the kingdom.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

The Turkey-born militia chief and a longtime ally of the Assad-regime, was sought by Ankara over the deadly Reyhanli bombings and by Damascus over his alleged role in massacres on the Mediterranean coast.

Abandoned cars piled up among debris and standing water following extremely heavy rainfall, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 15, 2026.

Turkey: Flash floods kill 3, paralyze Istanbul after record downpour

Heavy rains stranded hundreds, blocking major roads and disrupting air and public transportation, flooding buildings and forcing school closures across Istanbul province.

Latest News

Explainer

Why Israel, Armenia don't benefit from hijab spat between Turkey, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) at Prague Castle on Oct. 6, 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Live Updates

Turkey seizes opposition Halk TV as crackdown widens: What to know

Serhan Asker, General Program Coordinator at Halk TV, makes a statement outside the Ankara branch of Turkey's most-watched news channel, Halk TV.

Iran mum as Azerbaijan’s school hijab ban, Israel ties test alliance with Turkey

A shop owner assists one of his customers at Malta bazaar in the Fatih district in Istanbul, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Trump and Erdogan: A transatlantic love affair

Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Donald Trump of the United States get along very well but appear to achieve little for the countries' long-term relationship.

Turkey’s fight against IS riddled with black holes

Ankara may boast about how many Islamic State members it has captured, but its handling of IS suspects on the ground, especially in deportation centers, speaks of a slipshod attitude to the problem.

Egypt conducts joint drills with Greece, Cyprus amid Turkey tensions

The naval forces of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus conducted joint military exercises in the Mediterranean amid tensions with Turkey over its drilling activities in the area.

IS kills priests in Syria as Turkish-backed fighters express IS sympathies

Two Armenian Catholic priests are killed by the Islamic State near Hasakah and pro-Turkish Syrian fighters are reported to have hoisted the Islamic State flag in Ras al-Ain.

Did Turkey backstab Syrian opposition's National Army?

Turkey's catch-and-release handling of 18 regime fighters captured by the Syrian opposition shocked many opposition forces.

Russia seems set to establish new military base in northeast Syria

Russia has been fortifying its military presence in Qamishli and appears to be constructing a military base there, its third in Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Turkey's Pressident Tayyip Erdogan at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2HAD9SK03C

Erdogan lauds Trump for 'sincere' efforts to fix ties with Turkey

The Turkish president received a warm welcome in Washington despite launching a military operation in northeast Syria that has upended US regional policy and defying NATO to acquire Russian weapons.

Re-empowerment of career diplomats could help Turkey salvage global image

Operation Peace Spring undeniably revealed what was long feared: Turkey’s inability to explain itself to the world because of structural damage to the traditional workings of the Foreign Ministry, alienated skilled career diplomats and new agencies that are active in foreign policy.

US sanctions send Iranians to Turkey in droves

Turkey has continued to attract a steady trickle of economic migrants and asylum seekers from Iran.

Syrian refugees trained to restore cultural heritage

An Istanbul-based project that trained Syrians to work in the field of cultural restoration received an award from Europa Nostra.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner? - RC2HAD9VX4UB

Absent new agreements, Trump-Erdogan meeting ends with pledge to work together

US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Washington to rebuild US-Turkish relations without setting a clear path for progress.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan shake hands at the end of a joint news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC2LAD9PASW2

Erdogan’s US welcome sparks fear Trump will halt Turkey sanctions

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the White House today amid protest from Congress, aides in Congress and experts lose faith that President Donald Trump will impose automatic sanctions on Turkey for taking delivery of a Russian air defense system over four months ago.