turkey

SOHR Says Pro-Turkey Factions Attack Government, Kurdish Forces

A Syria war monitor said pro-Turkey factions in the north killed government forces and attacked Kurdish fighters in Aleppo province Sunday, as a separate rebel alliance waged an offensive nearby. Turkish forces and their proxies have controlled swathes of territory in northern Syria since Ankara in 2016 began successive ground operations to expel ...

Syria and the Domino Effect

Benjamin Netanyahu has warned in his speech announcing the ceasefire in Lebanon: "Assad is playing with fire." Less than a week later, the Syrian regime is collapsing on all fronts. This time, Turkey is taking the lead. Erdogan has successfully brought together a diverse coalition of militias, from Islamists to Kurds, for the operation. His goal: ...

US, Russia, Iran, and Turkey Address Escalation in Syria

The United States on Saturday said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad lost control of Aleppo because of his reliance on Russia and Iran. Syria's "reliance on Russia and Iran," along with its refusal to move forward with a 2015 peace process outlined by the UN Security Council, "created the conditions now unfolding," National ...

What’s Behind the Syrian Rebels' Push to Retake Aleppo ?

Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria's second city of Aleppo according to a monitor. Government forces offered little resistance, the war monitor said, and the army admitted that rebels had entered "large parts" of the city. Syrian ...

More Than 200 Dead in North Syria Army-Jihadist Fighting

A war monitor said on Thursday more than 200 people, mostly combattants, have been killed in fighting after jihadists and allies launched a major offensive on government-controlled parts of Syria's northwest a day earlier. The toll in ongoing battles "has risen to 182 (combattants), including 102 fighters from HTS", a jihadist ...

Cyprus Seeks NATO Membership in Coordination with US

Cyprus Aims to Join NATO, in Talks with the U.S. to Meet Membership Conditions, Says President Cyprus is aiming to join NATO and is in talks with the United States to meet the conditions for entering the military alliance, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday. Christodoulides explained that the discussions were focused on "how the ...

Turkey's Erdogan Seeks to Increase Trade With Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said during a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he wants to expand trade between Ankara and Moscow. "President Erdogan declared that he aimed to increase the cooperation between Turkey and Russia in a number of areas, notably expanding the volume of trade," the ...

Turkey's Erdogan Hails 'Courageous' ICC Warrants for Israeli Leaders

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday praised the "courageous decision" of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. "We support the arrest warrant. We consider it important that this courageous decision be carried out by all ...

Are Hamas Top Officials Relocating or Visiting Turkey?

Diverging reports have emerged regarding Hamas's presence in Turkey. On one side, Israeli media claim that several senior Hamas officials, who had been based in Doha since 2012, have left Qatar to settle in Turkey, citing U.S. pressure to expel the group’s leaders. This relocation reportedly coincided with Qatar's suspension of ...

Israeli President Cancels Visit to Azerbaijan after Being Banned from Flying over Turkey

Israeli President Isaac Herzog canceled his visit to Azerbaijan due to Turkey's ban on overflying its airspace, according to Azerbaijani media outlet Caliber. Herzog was scheduled to attend COP29 alongside other global leaders. Israeli media had initially reported that the cancellation of the trip was due to security concerns. In May, Herzog ...

Turkey Revives Hammam Tradition with Restorations and Museums

For centuries, hammams were central to Ottoman society, but they mostly fell out of use with the advent of running water. Today, many in Turkey are being restored to revive an ancient ritual bathing tradition. A mainstay of old Turkish films, hammam scenes were highly entertaining—a free space where women socialized, ate, drank, and even ...

Istanbul Film Festival Canceled After Authorities Ban ‘Queer’ Screening

The organizers of a film festival in Istanbul announced its cancellation on Thursday in protest, following local authorities' ban on the screening of the film Queer, starring former "James Bond" actor Daniel Craig. "A few hours before the opening, authorities in the Kadikoy district informed us that the screening of Queer, scheduled for the ...