Syria and Turkey

Turkey, Syria, Jordan unveil Gulf-Europe rail corridor as Ankara pushes alternative trade routes

The proposed network would run from Europe through Turkey, continue across Syrian territory, and extend into Jordan, creating a continuous land bridge between Mediterranean ports and Gulf markets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attend a press conference at joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025; illustrative.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025.

'Turkey is the new Iran': The growing threat Erdogan poses to Israel - analysis

Önder Sığırcıkoğlu, in the custody of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization.

Turkey’s rearrest of fugitive revives mystery of Syrian defector’s disappearance

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack attends a press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, in Damascus, Syria September 16, 2025.

How US Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack plays key role in creating a new Syria, Levant region - analysis


Syria resisting Russia's efforts to broker Turkey summit amid invasion threat

Russia helped Assad turn the tide of the war in his favor and says it is seeking a political end to the conflict and wants to bring the two leaders together for talks.

 Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria December 11, 2017

Turkey calls for US understanding ahead of possible Syria operation

Russian foreign minister blasts West over Ukraine, stating belief that US, NATO are arming and training Ukrainians.

 Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visits Land Forces Operation Center in Ankara

Turkish forces nearly ready for a Syria ground operation - officials

The escalation comes after a deadly bomb attack in Istanbul two weeks ago that Ankara blamed on the YPG militia.

Turkish and Russian military vehicles return following a joint patrol in northeast Syria, as they are pictured from near the Turkish border town of Kiziltepe in Mardin province, Turkey, November 1, 2019

Erdogan says Turkey will launch Syria land operation when convenient

Turkey plans to take action on Syria when it would be in its best interest to move forward.

 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets people during the opening ceremony of Eurasia Tunnel in Istanbul, Turkey, December 20, 2016.

Fear reigns in northeast Syria as Turkey threatens invasion - interview

David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a Christian multi-ethnic humanitarian movement, has documented the destruction wrought by the airstrikes and reported on the ground.

 The aftermath of airstrikes in eastern Syria.

Turkish airstrikes target Kurdish militants in Syria, Iraq after bombing

Attack in Istanbul on Nov. 13 killed six people • Ankara has blamed Kurdish militants for the blast

Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, October 18, 2014.

Inter-rebel clashes resume in northwest Syria after collapse of truce

Intense fighting raged near rugged terrain around Kafr Jana village in northern Aleppo where both sides sent reinforcements.

 Demonstrators hold a Syrian opposition flag during a protest against Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's comments on reconciliation of the opposition with the Syrian government, in the rebel-held city of Azaz, Syria August 12, 2022.

Turkey’s policy in Syria at crossroads: Extremist HTS terror group takes over Afrin

Turkey's leaders are taking a second look at their policy in Syria as new terror organizations seize control of different regions.

A rebel fighter takes away a flag that belonged to Islamic State militants in Akhtarin village, after rebel fighters advanced in the area, in northern Aleppo Governorate, Syria, October 7, 2016

With a Russian nudge, Turkey and Syria step up contacts

The contacts reflect a Russian policy shift as Moscow steels itself for a protracted conflict in Ukraine and seeks to secure its position in Syria.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan are seen before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, August 24, 2018.

Talk of Ankara-Damascus detente driven mostly by domestic politics

‘Politics in the post Arab Spring and post 9/11 [eras] has changed to become much more fragmented and transactional. … No country means [what it says] in absolute terms.’

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan waves as he attends a debate marking the reconvene of the parliament after a summer recess at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, October 1, 2014.