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Turkey

Turkey

June 11, 2026

Ankara 5:33 pm

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan buttons up his jacket during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey-Israel tensions flare over Syria, Lebanon, East Med: What to know

The Turkish president has accused Israel of threatening Turkey through its military actions in Syria, Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean, triggering a sharp exchange with the Israeli prime minister.

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey names new envoys to Iran, Oman, Qatar in regional reshuffle

Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey's probe into pro-secular tycoon goes beyond crude Kurdish joke

Rahmi Koc

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Explainer

Saudi Arabia, Turkey advance plans to revive historic Hejaz Railway

An old locomotive sits outside the Hejaz rail station in old Damascus on February 23, 2010. The Hejaz railway ran from Damascucs to Medina in Saudi Arabia and was part of the Ottoman railway network. AFP PHOTO/LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via 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

Ex-army chief rises swiftly in Turkish civilian politics

Hulusi Akar, Turkey’s new defense minister, could play a balancing role in the new regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey steps up efforts to shun dollar

As the Turkish lira plunges to a record low, some voices in Ankara are warning that the United States is furious over Turkey’s efforts to reduce its dependency on the dollar.

Russia eyes refugee return as centerpiece of next policy move in Syria

Moscow claims it's making progress in talks with Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey over the return of Syrian refugees; yet getting international organizations and the United States to cooperate on the refugee return and the reconstruction of Syria proves more challenging.

US pastor Andrew Craig Brunson escorted by Turkish plain clothes police officers arrives at his house on July 25, 2018 in Izmir. - Turkey on July 15, 2018 moved from jail to house arrest US pastor Andrew Brunson who has spent almost two years imprisoned on terror-related charges, in a controversial case that has ratcheted up tensions with the United States. Andrew Brunson, who ran a protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was first detained in October 2016 and had remained in prison in Turkey ever si

Brunson affair taking economic toll on Turkey

A Turkish delegation has been dispatched to Washington to try to resolve the crisis swirling around the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson in Izmir.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a group picture at the BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 27, 2018. Gianluigi Guercia/Pool via REUTERS? - RC11D75C1B70

Despite its tough rhetoric, Turkey seeks way out of pastor impasse

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says there is no problem with Washington that can’t be solved by focusing on the strategic partnership.

US Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (C), is seen inside a car escorted by Turkish plain clothes police officers as he arrives at his house on July 25, 2018 in Izmir. - A Turkish court on July 25, 2018 ruled to place under house arrest US pastor who has been imprisoned for almost two years on terror-related charges in a case that has raised tensions with the United States, state media said. The state-run Anadolu news agency said he was being put under house arrest, although it was not clear if he had already lef

Turkey remains defiant in row with US over pastor as deal falls through

A possible deal to end the US-Turkish row over an American pastor detained in Izmir appears to have failed after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heaped additional demands on an agreement.

The third session meeting of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) is held in Tabqa, Syria July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC16275DB390

Syria's Kurds cautiously progress in talks with Damascus

According to the former head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, Salih Muslim, a recent Kurdish delegation to Damascus didn’t go into the talks with red lines, but rather focused on building confidence.

Turkey’s economy struggles with new political reality

Turkey’s economic downturn has only grown worse since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assumed sweeping new powers after the June polls, as some observers fear that the economy might not be Ankara’s primary concern.

Culture alert: Music mixed with history in August

Some of the August festivals in the Middle East take place in spectacular settings, from Cairo to Byblos to Troy.

A Turkish military armoured vehicle guards on the border line located opposite the Syrian town of Atimah, Idlib province, in this picture taken from Reyhanli, Hatay province, Turkey October 10, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC117E0C0980

Putin man in the middle between Assad, Erdogan over Idlib

A Syrian government attack on Idlib could upend the Astana accord.

Following deals with Russia, Turkey now expands military cooperation with China

Both China and Turkey are determined to develop their cooperation in the defense and security sectors.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 at the White House in Washington D.C., U.S. December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1DBA301210

US defense bill could impact arms exports to Middle East

This year’s US defense authorization bill calls for reforming America’s high-tech exports even as weapons sales to the region boom.