Analysis With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones With export revenue from the supersonic crewed aircraft, Ankara plans to fund next-generation projects and gain strategic diplomatic and military leverage across NATO and the region. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Turkey and Greece's intelligence chiefs hold rare talks: What to know The meeting comes after Turkey recently warned Greece over what it called an arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran
Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know Against the backdrop of growing tensions with Turkey, Israel signed one of its largest-ever defense industry deals to supply Greece with advanced air defense systems. Israel
Analysis Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Turkey Turkey’s Kurdish peace process picks up pace By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Turks accuse CIA of engineering failed coup The arrest order Turkish prosecutors issued for Graham Fuller, a former CIA official, appears to be a Russian-Turkish joint production. Turkey
Israel 'will not blink' on Iranian missiles The Israel Defense Forces set new red lines for Iran; Erdogan still waiting for Russian dividend on Kurds; Russia expands use of private military companies in Syria; the Islamic State and al-Qaeda at war in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt
Iraqis fear earthquakes, terrorism could lead to dam catastrophe Although the recent earthquakes did not cause serious damage to Iraq’s dams, specialists are calling for continuous maintenance to ensure they are not demolished in the future, leading to a disaster in Iraq. Iraq
Culture Alert: Fashion, books and photography in December The Middle Eastern cultural calendar for the end of the year includes a book fair in Beirut, a modest-dress fashion event in Dubai and a cartoon biennial in Tehran. Egypt
Women join opposition police forces in Aleppo’s liberated areas With the help of Turkish trainers, the first batch of policewomen graduated from the opposition’s National Police and Public Security Forces in the areas liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield in the countryside of Aleppo. Syria
Zarrab fingers Erdogan in NY trial bombshell Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, testifying before a New York jury, has implicated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his former economy minister in a massive sanctions-busting scheme as Turkey does its frantic best to spin the story at home. Turkey
Turkey squeezed between American hammer, Russian anvil on Syrian stage The Kurdish issue is only one of the catalysts to indicate Turkey’s weakened posture in Syria, the Middle East and the world. Syria
Turkey, Russia exchange Chechen prisoners for Tatars It has emerged that two Russian agents jailed in Turkey in connection with the deaths of Chechen dissidents were extradited to Russia as part of a prisoner swap enabled by Turkey's legal state of emergency. Turkey
Turkey’s Alevis on edge after homes vandalized More than a dozen Alevi homes were recently marked with red paint, setting off alarm bells for Turkey's largest minority group, which has a long memory of sectarian violence. Turkey
Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds. Syria
Why so many Turks took Black Friday as insult to Islam It may have looked silly when thousands of Turks took to Twitter to condemn Black Friday sales, but their frenzy tells an ominous story. Turkey
Trump promises to end 'nonsense' of arming Syrian Kurds, Turkey says Turkish officials say the US president promised Turkey’s leader that arms shipments to Kurds fighting the Islamic State would stop, but observers worry such a move will cost Washington a key partner and undermine stabilization efforts in Syria. Syria