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

Turkey

Turkey

May 14, 2026

Ankara 1:40 pm

23°C

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts.

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

Latest News

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/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

The owner of a shop and his family members wait in his damaged shop at the site of a twin bomb blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLWK

Bombings Lead to Anger, Questions Over Turkey’s Syria Policy

Many Turks are wondering how their nation's Syrian policy can be a success when it has started costing innocent Turkish lives.

Turkey's Alevis attend a rally in Ankara November 9, 2008. Thousands of Turkish Alevis marched in Ankara on Sunday in their first massive demonstration to call for an end to discrimination by the government and compulsory religious classes. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - RTXAF37

Bombing Exposes Divide In Turkish Politics

Tensions in Reyhanli mirror Turkish Alevis' frustrations over their unmet demands for recognition.

Freed Palestinian prisoner Ibrahim Baroud holds a gun as he carried on the shoulders of Islamic Jihad militants through crowds of people, as he arrives at his home in the northern Gaza Strip April 8, 2013. Baroud, who was convicted of his affiliation with the armed group of Islamic Jihad and for carrying out armed attacks against Israel, was released on Monday after serving 27 years in an Israeli jail, according to media reports. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTXYD6

Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Iran Supplies All Weapons in Gaza

The final article in a four-part series examines the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement’s relationship with Iran and other regional parties.

Syrians wait to cross back into Syria at the Turkish Cilvegozu border, opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in Reyhanli, Hatay province, May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLW2

No 'Good Guys' Or 'Bad Guys' in Syria

Saudi Arabia and Qatar need to support a diplomatic outcome in Syria.

Search and rescue officers work at a damaged building at the site of blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border, May 13, 2013. Syria's information minister has blamed Turkey's government for deadly car bombings near the Syrian border and branded Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a "murderer", state-run Russian TV company RT reported on Monday. It said he repeated a denial of Syrian involvement in car bombings that killed 46 people on Saturday in the Turkish border town of Re

Bombing Shakes Erdogan’s Domestic Agenda

The Reyhanli blast may have an impact on Turkey’s constitutional referendum.

A man checks an apartment in a damaged building at the site of a blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border, May 13, 2013. Syria's information minister has blamed Turkey's government for deadly car bombings near the Syrian border and branded Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a "murderer", state-run Russian TV company RT reported on Monday. It said he repeated a denial of Syrian involvement in car bombings that killed 46 people on Saturday in the Turkish border town of Reyhan

Turkish Court Imposes Media Clampdown on Reyhanli Bombing

The Turkish government upped its efforts to control the debate on the Syrian crisis by imposing overt censorship with a court decision on reporting about the Reyhanli bombings.

Search and rescue officers work at a damaged building at the site of blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border, May 13, 2013. Syria's information minister has blamed Turkey's government for deadly car bombings near the Syrian border and branded Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a "murderer", state-run Russian TV company RT reported on Monday. It said he repeated a denial of Syrian involvement in car bombings that killed 46 people on Saturday in the Turkish border town of Re

Ankara’s Syria Policy A Source of Instability

Turkey’s Syria policy neglects the security of its citizens and borders.

A policeman inspects damaged cars after two rockets hit houses and a car sales yard in Beirut suburbs May 26, 2013. Two rockets hit a Shi'ite Muslim district of southern Beirut on Sunday, residents said, wounding several people, a day after the leader of Lebanese Shi'ite militant movement Hezbollah said his group would continue fighting in Syria until victory. REUTERS/Mohammed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX1015N

Reyhanli Worst Terror Attack Turkey Has Witnessed

Despite such devastating tragedy, the Erdogan government is still trying to defend its Syria policy, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Shadows of protesters are cast on a banner as they march during a demonstration against the Turkish government's foreign policy on Syria, in central Hatay May 12, 2013. Turkey accused a group loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday of carrying out car bombings that killed 46 people in a Turkish border town and said the risk of unrest spreading to Syria's neighbours was increasing. Syrian Information Minister Omran Zubi denied any Syrian involvement and rejected what he called "unfounded accusati

Will Turkey Respond To Reyhanli Bombs?

Turkey is not likely to take unilateral action against Syria, Amberin Zaman argues.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) whispers to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a joint news conference after their meeting in Moscow May 7, 2013. Russia and the United States agreed on Tuesday to try to arrange an international conference this month on ending the civil war in Syria, and said both sides in the conflict should take part. REUTERS/Mladen Antonov/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTXZE44

US-Russia Diplomacy on Syria Makes Comeback

The US, Russia — and Iran — resurrect diplomacy on Syria; Iran and Israel should consider talking about Syria; Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Relatives of Ahmet Uyan, 45, and Ahmet Ceyhan, 23, who were killed in yesterday's car bombings, mourn in the town of Reyhanli of Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border May 12, 2013. Turkey said on Sunday it believed fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind twin car bombings that killed 46 people in a Turkish border town. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said those involved in the bombings in Reyhanli on Saturday were thought also to have carried out an attack on the Syrian coast

Explosive Message on Turkey’s Border

Cengiz Candar doesn’t expect Turkey’s response to the Reyhanli blasts, which killed 46 people, to go beyond tough rhetoric, despite its accusation that Syrian intelligence was behind the attack.

An Israeli border police officer walks past Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City before a parade marking Jerusalem Day May 8, 2013. Jerusalem Day marks the anniversary of Israel's capture of the Eastern part of the city during the 1967 Middle East War. In 1980, Israel's parliament passed a law declaring united Jerusalem as the national capital, a move never recognised internationally. There were confrontations on Wednesday between Muslims and Jews outside Jerusalem's walled Old City, where al Aqsa mosque is

Islamic Jihad: 'We Will Not Accept A State on the 1967 Borders'

In the third article of a four-part exclusive series, Asmaa al-Ghoul analyzes the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and its relationship with other Palestinian resistance groups.