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

Turkey

Turkey

September 6, 2026

Ankara 11:18 pm

23°C

TAI Hurjet

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

With export revenue from the supersonic crewed aircraft, Ankara plans to fund next-generation projects and gain strategic diplomatic and military leverage across NATO and the region.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesperson, gives a press conference at the Presidential Complex, Ankara, May 25, 2022.

Turkey and Greece's intelligence chiefs hold rare talks: What to know

The meeting comes after Turkey recently warned Greece over what it called an arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Mecca Alliance

Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know

Against the backdrop of growing tensions with Turkey, Israel signed one of its largest-ever defense industry deals to supply Greece with advanced air defense systems.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

Mecca Alliance

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Culture

In divided Cyprus, FC Barcelona youth camp sparks new dispute: What to know

Barcelona

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC2R7F91KIKZ

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.

Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters attend a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium June 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts - RC153052BAD0

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.

A vehicle belonging to Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighters is parked next to a Turkish military bulldozer in the Syrian town of Ras al Ain, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 30, 2019. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan - RC121F436090

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.

Passport control signs are pictured at the international departure terminal of Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, January 8, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1F36DCFD80

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'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.

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.

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.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu makes a speech as pro-Palestinian demonstrators take part in a rally to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan, in Istanbul, Turkey, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC20XE91NUJ8

Can Istanbul's mayor forge tourism as a tool for democracy?

Tourism is providing a test case of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s advocacy of “local participatory democracy," prompting a struggle with the government in Ankara over prominent landmarks in his city.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1A050005F0

The urgent conversation Trump, Putin need to have about Syria

As Idlib refugee crisis grows, US risks superpower confrontation over missiles.

U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RC1C1F12DE90

How Turkey’s anti-Gulen lobbyist risks Washington’s ire with Venezuela contract

Amsterdam and Partners has picked up the Maduro government account after Foley & Lardner dropped it amid political blowback.

Specialist Tevin Howe and Specialist Eduardo Martinez take part in training on a U.S. Army Patriot surface-to-air missile launcher at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, January 12, 2019. Picture taken January 12, 2019. U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1CE04C3590

Turkey asks US for missile defense amid Syria standoff

Turkey has asked the United States to deploy Patriot batteries to its southern border, a US official told Al-Monitor.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels ride their vehicle on a street in the Turkish border town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 16, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov - RC1FAB8C4260

Turkey tests limits of Moscow-Damascus alliance

Turkey’s attempt to test the waters by leading a push by the Syrian rebels has shown that Russia is apparently strongly determined to support the regime.