Syria and Turkey

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

Barack plays a key role as US ambassador to Turkey, Special Envoy to Syria, and one of the key figures in American policy in the Levant, while also keeping constant dialogues with Gulf state actors.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
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.
Members of the Kurdish forces hold a portrait of Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler which reads "Shame on the killers of innocents in the Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood" during a protest in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on January 13, 2026.

How Turkey’s dangerous course in the Middle East fuels massacres - opinion

Ankara has created, sustained, and directed a well-established network of Islamist proxies.

|ByVEYSI DAG
Armored personnel carriers stand outside a compound of the Syrian army's new 80th Division in northwest Syria, June 3, 2025.

Syrian army starts training in Turkey, while Ankara gains influence over Damascus gov't - analysis

Forty-nine Syrians have begun training in Turkey, as part of a new program that will allow Syrian troops to use Turkish military barracks and academies.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Shanty houses painted in primary colours are pictured crowding the deep gullies and steep cliffs in Altindag, a suburb on the slopes outside central Ankara.

Turkish charity shop worker allegedly sexually abusing Syrian refugees - BBC

The charity shop owner claimed it was physically impossible that he had committed sexual assault, as he only had one testicle and only four women had accused him.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Turkey shifts to post-quake reconstruction, getting aid to those in need

The mission now is to remove the debris and build new homes for those who need them. 

MARCH 1, 2023ByMOHAMMED AL-KASSIM/THE MEDIA LINE
People affected by the deadly earthquake queue for aid in Hatay, Turkey, February 24, 2023.

Hasty rebuild could leave Turkey at risk of another quake disaster

Turkey's government is struggling to find a quick solution to rehome those who were left homeless after the quake, and rebuild what was destroyed. However, being speedy could be a bigger issue.

FEBRUARY 20, 2023ByREUTERS
A view shows semi collapsed buildings in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey February 15, 2023.

Blinken to talk aid, Nordic NATO bid in visit to quake-hit Turkey

The United States Secretary of State will approach the meeting with multiple prongs; one focused on earthquake relief and the other focused on Finland's bid to join NATO.

FEBRUARY 19, 2023ByREUTERS
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, February 18, 2023.

ISIS attack and US raid show terror group still dangerous - analysis

ISIS continues to be a threat and the US and SDF continue to carry out raids to make sure it can’t make a comeback.

FEBRUARY 18, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A US soldier oversees members of the Syrian Democratic Forces as they demolish a YPG fortification and raise a Tal Abyad Military Council flag over the outpost as part of the security mechanism zone agreement, in Syria September 21, 2019.

NASA satellites assist in Turkey-Syria earthquake response

The earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and western Syria on February 6th left over 37,000 dead and over one million people homeless.

FEBRUARY 14, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rescuers carry a survivor at the site of a collapsed building, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 8, 2023.

Turks made homeless by massive earthquake face uncertain future

Over 1 million are left without homes or living outdoors due to damage to buildings and fears of collapse amid freezing conditions, and many say they feel forgotten by the Turkish government.

FEBRUARY 14, 2023ByKRISTINA JOVANOVSKI/THE MEDIA LINE
A woman cries while sitting on a road after an earthquake and tusnami destroyed the city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, March 13, 2011. Picture taken March 13, 2011

Death toll from devastating Turkey, Syria earthquakes tops 33,000

Displaced residents near the epicenter said they had set up tents as close as they could to their damaged or destroyed homes to keep it from being looted.

FEBRUARY 12, 2023ByREUTERS
A person reacts while sitting on the rubble of a collapsed building, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 9, 2023

Amid horror of Turkey-Syria quake, ISIS seeks an advantage

Using the earthquake as cover, at least 20 inmates escaped from Syrian jail holding mostly Islamic State members close to Turkish border.

FEBRUARY 12, 2023ByDEBBIE MOHNBLATT/THE MEDIA LINE
People walk past damaged buildings, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in rebel-held town of Jandaris

Turkey may open border to Syrian government-held region for aid - Turkish official

Turkey and Syria broke off diplomatic ties after Assad responded with force to a 2011 uprising against his rule which turned into a civil war.

FEBRUARY 10, 2023ByREUTERS
A TURKISH soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria, in January 2018

‘Earthquake Diplomacy’ brings countries together over Turkey-Syria disaster, even if temporarily

The earthquake, just like other natural disasters throughout history, could have an impact on international relations, experts say.

FEBRUARY 10, 2023ByKEREN SETTON/THE MEDIA LINE
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 8, 2023