Turkey inks $5.1B in climate loans at COP31: What to know Ankara can count 10 loan deals worth $5.1 billion with four multilateral development banks so far at the UN climate summit, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Thursday. Turkey
Explainer Bilal Erdogan, floated as father’s possible successor, visits Lebanon: What to know Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that will include meetings with officials and religious leaders, as well as stops in Sunni-majority cities. Lebanon
Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran war shadows Turkey’s COP31 summit By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
The enigma of Qasem Soleimani and his role in Iraq Al-Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, profiled in last month's New Yorker, has been among the most influential, and controversial, figures in Iran-Iraq relations. Iraq
Gulf Cities Emerge As New Centers of Arab World While historic Arab capitals such as Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus are embroiled in civil strife, Gulf cities are powering ahead as new centers for Arab culture, education and business. United Arab Emirates
Assad Warns Erdogan On Turkey’s Syria Policy Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s latest interview reveals again the deep personal enmity between him and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Syria
Erdogan Should Back Geneva II Conference on Syria Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could benefit Turkey by supporting the Geneva conference, not clinging to failing regime-change policies. Syria
Hamas Activists Accuse Meshaal Of Preferring Life in Exile Rumors about Hamas Chief of Political Bureau Khaled Meshaal leaving Qatar for Beirut have sparked criticism within the movement toward those exiled leaders who refuse to return to Gaza. Qatar
Erdogan, Gulen Combat Islamophobia, Extremism Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen are leaders in promoting a more moderate Islamic image to the world. Turkey
Syrian Islamist Forces Gain in Aleppo Divisions among Syrian opposition groups may be hindering Geneva II. Israel
Zamzam Rattles Jordan’s Muslim Brothers The launch of the moderate “Zamzam” Islamists organization presents a challenge for the Muslim Brotherhood. Jordan
Turkey Suspects Turkish Students Who Visited Iran of Espionage The detention of 25 Turkish students who visited Iran on suspicion they had been used for spying and propaganda activities reveals how tense Iran-Turkey relations actually have become. Turkey
The Israeli-Sunni Coalition Against Iran Is there a quiet coalition among the Gulf states and Israel to thwart a possible thaw in US-Europe-Iran ties? Israel
Hamas Says Meshaal Not Leaving Qatar Hamas senior officials have flatly rejected media reports that leader Khaled Meshaal is severing ties with Qatar. Qatar
Erdogan Deserves Credit For Democratization Package Give credit where it's due: The Turkish prime minister's democratization package is overwhelmingly positive. Turkey