Newsletter: Turkey Turkey navigates Gulf rivalries while Kurdish peace efforts resurface Turkey hosts a flurry of regional diplomacy while fresh debate over Abdullah Ocalan’s future exposes new tensions in the Kurdish peace process. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul EU spotlights digital art in Ankara Also this week: A new chef’s table, ceramics and institutional debuts By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Hezbollah commanders killed as renewed strikes test Lebanon-Israel talks Israeli strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon raise new doubts over a fragile ceasefire ahead of expected talks in Washington. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing US pauses Hormuz escort mission as Trump cites progress on Iran talks By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces claim gains in Idlib The Syrian military has launched a new ground offensive in south Idlib to take control of the key M4 highway and says it is making major gains against the opposition. Syria
Russia explores way to draw UAE, Saudi Arabia to its Syria policies As relations with Turkey stall, Moscow seeks ways to engage with the Saudis and Emiratis to have them back in the Syrian game. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan renews threat to hit Syrian troops to stop advance in Idlib The Turkish president has again warned Syria it has until the end of this month to halt its Russia-backed offensive against opposition forces that has pushed nearly a million people to the Turkish border. Syria
Idlib and the collapse of Erdogan’s foreign policy Gambling on Russia to secure results in Syria turns out to be Ankara’s biggest miscalculation Syria
Intel: Uproar in Israel as Erdogan stars in anti-Netanyahu campaign video A video comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has set off a political storm in Israel. Israel
Pompeo calls for Idlib cease-fire The US secretary of state calls for an Idlib cease-fire as the UN and aid groups warn the exodus marks the largest humanitarian crisis in the nine-year Syrian war. Syria
Intel: US leans on Turkey despite tensions The top US military commander in Europe told Congress today that Turkey remains a key ally despite the Donald Trump administration’s decision to boot the NATO partner from the F-35 program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system last summer. Syria
Turkey-backed forces accused of cutting water to Syrian Kurdish-run region Turkish-backed Syrian rebel forces have reportedly stopped a pumping station in Ras al-Ain from providing water hundreds of thousands of people including internally displaced Syrians and Islamic State captives and their families. Syria
Dismissed civil servants continue fight to restore rights in Turkey In recent weeks, Ankara has eased travel restrictions for some citizens prosecuted in Turkey’s post-coup crackdown, yet thousands of dismissed civil servants continue to struggle for their right to work. Turkey
Turkey's re-arrest of philanthropist signals alarm in Europe Osman Kavala was re-arrested after his acquittal despite the European Court of Human Rights' call for Turkey to immediately release the philanthropist. Turkey
Can Ankara’s sudden change of heart on NATO save the day in Idlib? Ankara’s abrupt U-turn to reembrace NATO appears driven by conjunctural necessity to balance Russia in Idlib and Libya rather than a new realization of structural dependency between Turkey and NATO. Syria
Idlib exposes Erdogan's untenable policies Turkey’s predicament in Idlib has laid bare its weaknesses and the longstanding inconsistencies in its foreign and security policy as never before, boding adverse repercussions for the government, both at home and abroad. Syria