Erdogan's plans for Afrin might not sit well with Syria

Turkey's president is talking about settling Syrian refugees in Afrin, suggesting that Kurds are not the dominant community there, and handing over the region to anti-regime groups.

Syria

Istanbul's Iron Church restored as Turkey warms to Bulgaria

The eclectic Iron Church at the heart of Istanbul has been renovated and reopened as a monument to the Bulgarian community’s determination to uphold their own identity — and an overture to the new EU president.

Turkey

Turkey says US account of Trump-Erdogan call not 'accurate'

A telephone conversation between the Turkish and US leaders has turned into a "he said-he said" affair as the gulf widens between the NATO allies over Syria.

Syria

4 factors affecting Turkey's new operation in Syria

As Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria nears the end of its first week, circumstances affecting the scope, progress and duration of the operation are complicated and full of risks.

Syria

Can Brad Pitt save Turkey’s tourism industry?

Turkey is looking to Hollywood for support as its tourism industry struggles to rebound from terrorism, last year's coup and a decline in tourist spending.

Turkey

GCC's silence on Turkey’s Afrin adventure is telling

The Sunni Gulf states have failed to make a unified statement on Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria, a sign of their competing interests.

Legacy: Gulf

Russia’s role in Turkish incursion into Syria is tricky

Turkey’s ironically named Operation Olive Branch, its latest quest to crush the Kurds on its border, will likely affect Moscow’s carefully engineered Syrian peace process.

Syria

Most Turks welcome army’s incursion into Kurdish-controlled northern Syria

Many Turks are rallying behind the military operation launched over the weekend to undo the Syrian Kurds’ advances across the border, while activists accuse the government of criminalizing dissent.

Syria

Turkey, Russia wage proxy war against Washington in Syria

Syrian Kurds say Russia gave Turkey the green light for the Afrin operation after the Kurds refused to cede Afrin to the Syrian regime; can Turkey turn the situation to its long-term advantage?

Syria

What's Hamas up to in Lebanon?

Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chief of Hamas' political bureau, is busy reinforcing the movement's presence in Lebanon and mending ties with Hezbollah.

Palestine

Both sides forced to up casualty estimates as Afrin battles rage

The official body counts are rising as Turkey's Operation Olive Branch continues in Afrin, with at least 24 civilians dead so far and both sides exaggerating losses inflicted on the other.

Syria

Islamic State desert bases still headache for Iraq

As Iraqi forces continue cleansing the western desert to keep the Syrian-Iraqi border region calm, Islamic State counterattacks in Syria are posing a new risk across the border.

Iraq