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Turkey

Turkey

August 25, 2026

Ankara 1:20 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

Alex Babenko/Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan calls Putin, Zelenskyy, offers mediation in Ukraine dam crisis

In his first international phone contacts after inauguration, Erdogan sought to expand his country’s mediation role between Moscow and Kyiv.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s plunging lira could herald economic turnaround

The Turkish lira’s record low could signal a return to the free market and all eyes are on the central bank’s monetary policy meeting on June 22.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and members of his new cabinet pose for a photo during a visit to Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, before their first cabinet meeting in Ankara, on June 6, 2023.

Deciphering Turkey’s new cabinet: Real reform or window dressing?

President Erdogan's new Cabinet so far reflects a shift to his reformist days — whether that plays out as such remains to be seen.

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey inches toward ratifying Sweden's NATO bid

As Turkish and Swedish officials prepare to come together in a new round of talks to overcome Ankara’s objectives for Sweden’s membership, analysts are cautiously optimistic that Sweden may attend the upcoming alliance’s Vilnius summit as a member.

Turkish bazaar

Inflation in Turkey drops below 40% in May as Erdogan forms economic team

As Turkey’s annual inflation eases further in May, eyes are on the policies the reelected president's new economic team will pursue with Mehmet Simsek at the helm.

Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan (R) and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar wait prior to a meeting with the Russian President at the Kremlin in Moscow on August 24, 2018. - Turkish Foreign Minister on August 24, 2018 warned that seeking a military solution in Syria's last rebel-held province of Idlib would lead to disaster, while Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the situation was "multi-faceted" and called for separating out "the healthy opposition from terrorist structures." Idlib is one

Who is Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s new foreign minister with spy powers?

Fidan will come under spotlight after steadily keeping a low profile during his tenure as the nation’s youngest spymaster.

Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek.

Meet Turkey's Mehmet Simsek: Erdogan's last best hope for economic recovery

Former Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek’s return through the revolving doors of Turkey's economy management signals that Erdogan may be intending to steer the ship to safer waters amid deepening financial woes.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives his oath as he is sworns as Turkey's first Executive President at the Turkish parliament on July 9, 2018 in Ankara, Turkey. President Erdogan was sworn in during a parliamentary meeting and later an inauguration ceremony attended by a number of foreign leaders and dignitaries. President Erdogan secured another five year term and increased powers after winning 52.5 percent of the vote in the June 24 snap presidential and parliamentary elections. Under the new

Erdogan's inauguration: What to expect for Turkey's big bash

Several foreign leaders from Venezuela to Armenia are expected to travel to Turkey for the inauguration day.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media before a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base on April 21, 2023 in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. The group, which coordinates international military support for Ukraine, is meeting as allied countries are struggling to deliver sufficient amounts of artillery rounds and other ammunition to the Ukrainian military. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)

NATO turns on charm offensive with Turkey to settle Sweden's membership bid

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden’s former premier Carl Bildt are scheduled to travel to Ankara to attend Erdogan's inauguration and convince the Turkish government to greenlight the Swedish membership.

Saudi Aramco CEO

Analysis

With Saudi Aramco's $50 billion deal, Turkey seeks less dependency on West

The two major regional powers had grown distant over the years due to Erdogan’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and the 2018 killing at the consulate in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Turkey election

After reelection, can Erdogan tackle Turkey's economic woes?

In a bid to restore investor confidence in Turkey, Erdogan is reportedly seeking to convince Mehmet Simsek, a well-respected former minister, to return to the helm of the economy.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party.

Turkey’s beleaguered Kurds weigh new strategies after Erdogan’s win

The key question following the vote is whether the alliance between the HDP and the main opposition Republican People’s Party and its Table of Six partners can endure.