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

Turkey

Turkey

April 9, 2026

Ankara 9:43 am

4°C

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains 11 over ISIS-linked attack on Israeli Consulate: What to know

The attack was likely designed to portray Turkey as protecting Israel by targeting the local police guarding the consulate, one observer notes.

Police officials stand among traffic as they patrol near the Israeli Consulate following a shootout between gunmen and police, Istanbul, Turkey, April 7, 2026.

One gunman killed during attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul

Three assailants opened fire outside Israel’s consulate in Istanbul, wounding two police officers before being "neutralized" by security forces, authorities said.

This handout photograph provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry press service shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (R) in Damascus on Dec. 22, 2025.

Analysis

How the Iran war can help Syria manage Turkey and its regional rivals

Rising regional tensions and disrupted oil flows are giving Damascus leverage to balance Ankara and other neighbors while exploring alternative energy corridors.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A bulk carrier sits anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port on March 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Third Turkish ship clears Hormuz as Ankara presses Tehran on safe passage

Eight vessels are still waiting as Ankara negotiates with Tehran, which is allowing limited crossings.

Latest News

Analysis

Turkey’s expanding military role in Somalia draws scrutiny amid federal rift

Turkey's Camp TURKSOM, a Turkish military base south of Mogadishu, is seen from the window of an aircraft, on April 26, 2025, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey in talks with Iran to clear 11 ships stuck in Hormuz: What to know

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Analysis

How the Iran war is giving Turkey's Erdogan a big boost

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on Jan. 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Students sit in for affordable housing in Izmir, Turkey, on Sept. 28, 2021.

Turkish students continue protests despite arrests, Erdogan’s accusations

University students in Turkey continue their protests for access to dorms and affordable rentals, despite police pressure and Erdogan’s denial of a dorm problem.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on Sept. 29, 2021.

Erdogan's personalized diplomacy with Putin may have been point of Sochi summit

The latest summit between the Turkish and Russian presidents in Sochi may have been more about style than substance.

VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan-Putin summit highlights Turkey's fragile balancing act

Erdogan’s failure to achieve his goals in the high-profile meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin shows that Turkey’s balancing act with Russia and the United States is on the verge of a collapse.

Erdogan

Turkey's political realities clash with Erdogan’s 2023 dreams

To win the next election, Erdogan must change the election laws but also find more popular political allies. His AKP party's current coalition with the ultra-nationalists is becoming a liability for his goal of re-election in 2023.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Top generals step down in ominous sign for Turkish military in Syria

Top generals in charge of Turkey’s military operations in Syria have sought retirement amid escalating tensions in Idlib, fueling questions over Ankara’s Syria policies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrive to hold a joint press statement following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 5, 2020.

Syria to be key topic in Erdogan-Putin summit

The Turkish and Russian presidents are expected to discuss Syria in Sochi, as well as Ukraine, anti-missile batteries and natural gas.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu makes a press statement at his party's headquarters in Ankara, on Sept. 16, 2020.

Turkey’s opposition parties drop hints of future cooperation

In expressing support for the reinstitution of a parliamentary system and revisiting the Kurdish question, Turkey’s opposition parties appear to be reaching across ideological divides to counter President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in future elections.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan(R) arrives to address the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2021, in New York.

Erdogan says Turkish relations with US not 'healthy'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan added that the trajectory of US-Turkey ties "does not bode well."

People stand in front of a exchange office at Laleli in Istanbul, on March 22, 2021.

Turkish lira drops to near record lows after Central Bank trims policy rate

The move came following pressure from the Turkish president.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the annual gathering in New York City for the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2021.

In New York, Erdogan plays to domestic audience

Erdogan's New York trip was mainly aiming to boost his dwindling support at home, yet the trip has apparently failed to achieve its main objective.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Bowing to Erdogan’s pressure, Turkish Central Bank makes risky rate cut

Turkey’s Central Bank has delivered a rate cut long sought by the president, who's counting on stimulating economic growth to patch up his sagging popular support.

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) stand next to a wall bearing the Islamic State (IS) group flag as they enter the city of al-Qaim, in Iraq's western Anbar province near the Syrian border as they fight against remnant pockets of Islamic State group jihadists on Nov. 3, 2017.

How an Islamic State suspect lived as a shopkeeper in Turkey

The Turkish judiciary’s weakness in dealing with Islamic State suspects comes under the spotlight after a bombshell report on how a Syrian man suspected of ordering the burning to death of two Turkish soldiers in 2016 walked free from court and lived as a shopkeeper in Turkey.