Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

October 30, 2026

Ankara 2:10 pm

17°C

An view of the Uchisar settlement, east of Nevesehir in the province of the same name in central Turkey's historical Cappadocia region on Aug. 24, 2022.

Culture

Rock collapse near UNESCO-listed site in Turkey’s Cappadocia kills three

Heavy rain triggered a landslide that sent rocks falling in Turkey’s Cappadocia region, killing at least two people and injuring five others.

Kepez

Tornado kills 4 in Turkey’s Mediterranean tourism hub Antalya

The province was hit by a tornado that killed four construction workers and injured another less than two weeks before the city hosts the UN climate summit.

GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia’s KBS, top Turkish and Pakistani officials hold rare meeting in Iran: What to know

In first such gathering, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman will join Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin for talks with Iranian officials amid fears of renewed US and Israeli attacks against Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

What’s at stake for Turkey as Israel heads to the polls?

Israel’s Oct. 27 election could offer a chance to ease tensions with Ankara, but competing ambitions in Syria and beyond threaten to push the two US allies toward a dangerous confrontation.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Analysis

How Israel’s elections could bring thaw with Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly gathering, UN Headquarters, New York, Sept. 22, 2026.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Analysis

As US ties fray, Canada turns to Turkey for defense, nuclear cooperation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Turkey's Libya maritime win no guarantee for Saddam Hifter's presidential ambitions

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets with Saddam Haftar, Deputy Commander of the Libyan National Army, in Benghazi, Aug. 12, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Has Syria's Arab-Kurdish rivalry reached a breaking point?

The establishment of a safe zone on the Turkish-Syrian border is likely to further deepen the divide between the Arabs and Kurds in the area.

RTX1HQAX (1).jpg

Will Erdogan’s big gamble pay off?

Surveys suggest there is no certainty that early elections will produce the results Erdogan is banking on for his leadership ambitions.

Is Erdogan afraid of poking the IS bear?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has done little to censor the latest Islamic State video criticizing his government; does this mean that the ruling AKP could stand to benefit from publicizing the threat posed by the group?

RTX1FYDF (1).jpg

Is Nusra cooperating with Syrian opposition to support establishing safe zone on Syria-Turkey border?

While the establishment of a safe zone along the Syria-Turkey border promises better living conditions for Syrian refugees, the politics and security concerns involved portend thinning prospects.

A demonstrator tries to destroy a CCTV security camera on Istiklal Street in central Istanbul July 13, 2013. Turkish police fired water cannon and tear gas on Saturday to disperse hundreds of protesters who gathered to march to Gezi Park, which has been at the heart of fierce unrest against Prime Minister Erdogan's rule. Protesters scattered, running into sidestreets where police pursued them, before starting to regroup on Istiklal Street, metres from the main Taksim Square. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Ta

Orwell’s 1984 comes to life in Erdogan’s 2015 Turkey

Turkey’s president has called on community leaders in villages and neighborhoods to report on “terrorists” in their communities.

Syria’s lords of war

Car dealer and amateur astronomer Hatim Ali Staiti became a warlord and now commands a notorious militia known for fighting for the regime.

A baby from Syria lies on lifejackets moments after Syrian refugees arriving on a dinghy on the island of Lesbos, Greece, August 23, 2015. Greece, mired in its worst economic crisis in generations, has been found largely unprepared for a mass influx of refugees, mainly Syrians. Arrivals have exceeded 160,000 this year, three times as high as in 2014. The crisis has exposed massive shortages in Greece's available facilities, but also striking discord within the European Union on how to handle the humanitaria

Security Council: Syria 'largest humanitarian crisis in the world'

UN, Russia and Iran coordinate new diplomatic effort on Syria; what did Zarif tell Nasrallah?; Egyptian government rejects mediation with Muslim Brotherhood; did US-trained force coordinate with Jabhat al-Nusra?

Soldiers stand guard at the Jordanian-Syrian border, near Mafraq, August 16, 2015. Commander of the Jordanian Border Guard, Brigadier General Saber Mahayrah, said on Sunday that there was no sign of Nusra Front or Islamist State fighters on the border between Jordan and Syria. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX1OELU

Will Jordan agree to set up a 'safe zone' on Syrian border?

Jordan is considering the option of establishing a safe zone along its border with Syria, amid lack of US support for Turkey’s attempts to do the same on its southern border.

US plays politics with Patriot missile removal

Patriot batteries deployed in Turkey against possible air and missile threats from Syria are being withdrawn in controversy.

Violence in Turkey could push US to pick sides in Turkey, PKK battle

The escalation of violence in Turkey is reaching such a magnitude that Turkey may not be an effective coalition partner against Washington’s priority, the Islamic State.

Aleppo's businessmen blame Turks for damaged factories, looted equipment

While the large industrial complexes in northern Syria were once reminders of the strong economic ties between Ankara and Damascus, Aleppo's businessmen now hold Turkey responsible for the destruction and looting of their factories.

Co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas (L) and Figen Yuksekdag celebrate inside party's headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, June 7, 2015. Partial results from Turkey's parliamentary election on Sunday put the ruling AK Party on 43.6 percent of the vote, with just under two-thirds of ballots counted, a level which could leave it struggling to form a single-party government. The results, broadcast by CNN Turk, put the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) at 10.6

Have sexism, attacking women become part of Turkish right's political strategy?

Male chauvinism dominates mainstream media’s reactions to outspoken socialist female politicians and activists.