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July 3, 2026

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A screenshot of one of Deniz Goktas' standup routines posted to YouTube.

Culture

Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral

Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

The move, part of a broader easing of restrictions on Syrians living in Turkey, could allow roughly 1.1 million working-age Syrians to enter registered employment more easily as Ankara seeks to reduce informal labor and address workforce gaps.

Latest News

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

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

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), gives a press conference near the northeastern Syrian Hassakeh province on October 24, 2019.

Syrian Kurdish commander says Kobani likely target of threatened Turkish ground offensive

Following Turkish airstrikes on his headquarters in northeast Syria, SDF commander Mazlum Kobane spoke with Al-Monitor about Erdogan's threats of a new ground offensive.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Qatar on Nov. 20, 2022.

Sisi, Erdogan meet, pledge new era of Egypt-Turkey relations

Turkish analysts believe that the enthusiastic handshake between Sisi and Erdogan may facilitate the budding rapprochement but will not be a magic wand, particularly in Libya.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Russian-built nuclear plant could amplify Moscow’s regional influence

Some experts are warning that Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russia's Rosatom, might become a tool to advance Russian interests in the region.

Syrian Kurds protest against Turkey and in solidarity with the Kurdistan Workers Party, in the Kurdish-held city of Qamishli, Syria, Nov. 13, 2022.

Turkey strikes near US base in Syria after Pentagon calls for de-escalation

The US military says it opposes Ankara's plans to send ground troops against Syria's Kurds, but it has stood down in the face of similar attacks in the past.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Tensions simmer as Azerbaijan-Turkey alliance unsettles Iran

Iran is increasingly worried over Azerbaijani and Turkish geopolitical gains in the region as calls for “Greater Azerbaijan” push a hot button in Tehran.

BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan says Turkey's strikes in Syria, Iraq may lead to ground offensive

As the dust settles from airstrikes on Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq, Turkey is threatening a wider operation in the region.

Turkish troops are pictured on the outskirts of the Syrian town of Afrin on October 19, 2022 as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group advances towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Syria. - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, is gaining ground from rival rebels in Syria's Turkish-held north on the heels of some of the deadliest inter-rebel fighting in the region in years.

Turkey bombs Syria, Iraq in response to Istanbul terror attack

Fears are rising in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeast over a potential military incursion by Turkey.

Police officers escort suspects linked to the Istanbul bombing in a court in Sofia on November 19, 2022. - Bulgaria has charged five people with helping one of the suspects in last weekend's bombing in central Istanbul which killed six people, prosecutors said on November 19, 2022.

The Turkey Briefing: investigation into Istanbul bombing continues

In this weekly newsletter, Ezgi Akin rounds up the biggest Turkey stories from the region.

ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s first national soccer game in Kurdish heartland hints at electioneering

The match was set in Diyarbakir by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he faces a tough vote next year.

Netanyahu

Netanyahu, Erdogan pledge new era of Israeli-Turkish relations in phone call

Nine years after their last conversation, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone and promised to continue rapprochement between the two countries.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish exporters, tourism sector cut prices

Amid the dramatic slump of the lira, Turkish exporters have sold goods at lower prices, while the country’s imports, chief among them energy, have grown more expensive, official data show.

An aerial picture shows the flag of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

North Cyprus anniversary highlights renewed rivalry between Turkey, Greece

Ankara’s support for a two-state solution and efforts to legitimize Turkish Cypriot entity stir Greek anger.