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

Turkey

Turkey

April 10, 2026

Ankara 4:56 am

2°C

This picture taken on Oct. 19, 2020 in Istanbul shows Turkey's third drilling ship 'Kanuni' as it enters the bosphorus near Haydarpasa port.

Turkey launches first overseas drilling mission in Somalia: What to know

A drilling ship has reached Somalia to start Turkey's first overseas drilling mission as regional rivalry heats up in the Horn of Africa.

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

Latest News

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

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

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

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

Military honour guards stand next to the coffin of taxi driver Murat Arslan, the day after he was killed in an attack at a state-run aerospace industries building in Ankara, October 24, 2024.

Turkey says 2 PKK members behind TUSAS attack, ramps up airstrikes in Iraq, Syria

With funerals for victims underway, Turkish officials identified the attackers as operatives of the Kurdish militant group.

ANKARA, TURKEY - OCTOBER 23: Turkish Jandarma stand guard at the entrance to the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility following an attack on October 23, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey. An attack occurred at the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility in Ankara, with preliminary reports suggesting two attackers detonated an explosive device and opened fire at the entrance gate of the facility. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

At least 7 killed, 22 injured in attack on Turkey’s defense company TUSAS

A series of explosions and gunshots were heard at TUSAS, Turkey’s state-run aerospace and defense company, in an attack Turkey’s defense chief blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

Supporters of the Kurdish community demonstrate with flags and banners on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan (portrait on the placard at C) on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on February 17, 2024. Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) nearly half a century ago and has languished in solitary confinement on a prison island since 1999, is hailed as an icon by some Kurds but denounced by m

In shift, Erdogan's top ally says Ocalan’s life sentence can be reassessed if PKK disbands

Devlet Bahceli also suggested that the conditions of the militant leader’s life sentence without parole be reconsidered if he agrees to make such a call.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

How death of Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan's nemesis, could impact US-Turkey ties

The death of the infamous US-based preacher will likely impact US-Turkey relations after years of extradition disputes.

European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels on April 12, 2024.

Turkey: Support for EU on rise as trust of US, China, Russia remains low

A recent survey reveals an increase in favorability for the EU and NATO in Turkey, while perceptions of the United States, China and Russia continue to falter.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands in front of a Eurofighter Tycoon combat aircraft as he speaks during a visit to the Bavarian plant of European aircraft maker Airbus in Manching, southern Germany, January 19, 2024.

Analysis

Can Turkey-Germany summit produce breakthrough on Eurofighter sale?

Eurofighters for Turkey are expected to top Olaf Scholz's meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. A senior Turkish defense industry official told Al-Monitor that local production of some of the parts might be an option.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (center right) met with Hamas political leaders, including Shura Council head Mohammad Darwish (center left), in Istanbul on Oct. 18, 2024.

Turkey’s Fidan meets Hamas political leaders in Istanbul after Sinwar's killing

The meeting came a day after the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's leader, was confirmed and coincided with the top Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Turkey.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets KRG leader Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara, on Oct. 16, 2024.

Turkey’s Erdogan meets KRG President Barzani ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan vote

Barzani’s visit comes just amid Turkey's nascent attempt to use diplomacy, alongside ongoing military measures, to solve the 40-year-old Kurdish conflict.

MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s FM Araghchi mobilizes against Israel in visits to Jordan, Egypt, Turkey

Iran’s foreign minister has paid visits to several countries in the region in the past weeks, with the latest stop taking him to Jordan, amid Israel’s expected retaliation for Iran's missile attack.

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (L) and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar (R) speak to reporters outside the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) in the United Nations buffer zone splitting the divided capital Nicosia on July 28, 2023.

As crisis cripples region, long-divided Cyprus' leaders meet in New York

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides are meeting with the UN chief Tuesday, but recent history inspires doubt about their ability to resume the negotiations.

Israeli security and emergency personnel cordon off the site of an explosion in Tel Aviv, on Aug. 18, 2024.

Israel says August Tel Aviv suicide attack planned by Hamas office in Turkey

The Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed that they arrested nine people suspected of involvement in the August Tel Aviv suicide bomber attack, allegedly carried out under instructions from Hamas' office in Turkey.

Turkish air force fighter jets perform a military parade over the Bosphorus as Camlica mosque is seen in the background to mark the 100th anniversary of Turkish Republic in Istanbul on Oct. 29,2023.

Erdogan’s AKP postpones bill to impose credit card fees to support Turkey’s defense

Plans to collect credit card fees in a bid to boost the defense industry are put on hold after a public backlash.