Ragıp Soylu

Erdogan basically calls Ukraine’s Zelensky after this morning’s awful Russian attacks targeting Kyiv.

And then congratulates him for Ukraine’s Independence Day

NEW: Turkey will continue to contribute Ukraine’s security after the end of the war, Erdogan tells Ukraine’s Zelensky in a phone call.

He says that Ankara is ready to do everything it can to facilitate high-level contacts.

Erdogan also congratulated Ukraine’s Independence Day

Greece can't beat Ankara in war, says chief of Turkey's war college Historian Erhan Afyoncu says Athens is struggling to find officers to operate military equipment

NEW: Greece can't beat Ankara in war, says chief of Turkey's war college

• Historian Erhan Afyoncu says Athens is struggling to find officers to operate military equipment

www.middleeasteye.net/news/greece-...

Why Turkey must challenge Israeli moves in Syria It will be difficult for Ankara to turn the tide in this strategic game without taking a more explicit deterrent stance

Turkey doesn’t seek a clash with Israel in Syria.

But dissenting voices remain.

Professor Yesiltas ays Turkey should call Israel’s bluff, and establish military bases, as Netanyahu cannot risk striking Turkish forces directly.

www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/why-...

Turkey doesn't have many options against Israel in Syria With limited hardware and risk-averse foreign policy, Ankara has limited leverage against Israeli air strikes on Syrian targets

When senior Turkish and Israeli officials met at a restaurant in Baku in April during secret talks on resolving their problems in Syria, the mood was cordial.

Then an Iranian minister entered the venue…

Read my take on Turkey’s options in Syria below:

www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

Most Turkish people say Turkey should obtain nuclear weapons in new poll Although the government has no intention to acquire nuclear weapons, Israeli attacks on Iran have spooked the public

NEW: Turkey should obtain nuclear weapons, most Turks say in a new poll

• 71% of respondents believe Turkey should start developing nuclear arms

• 72% do not believe Nato would defend Turkey if it were attacked.

www.middleeasteye.net/news/most-tu...

US lobbied Turkey and Israel to hold military deconfliction talks on Syria Washington was concerned by rising tensions between the two, yet Turkish sources downplay the American role

NEW: US lobbied Turkey and Israel to hold military deconfliction talks on Syria

• Washington was concerned over nearby Israeli and Turkish jets, but Turkish sources downplay US involvement

• Rubio raised the issue during talks, per US official

www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-enco...

Turkey puts the brakes on F-16 deal in favour of F-35s Ankara mulls rerouting $1.4bn it paid for F-16s to next generation jets if Trump readmits it into the programme

NEW: Turkey puts the brakes on F-16 deal in favour of F-35s

• Ankara mulls rerouting $1.4bn it paid for F-16s to next generation jets if Trump readmits it into the programme

• Turkey doesn’t intend to cancel F-16 deal but wants to prioritise F-35s

www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

Israel's Netanyahu lobbying US against F-35 sale to Turkey, sources say Netanyahu looks to maintain Israel's qualitative military edge over Turkey's air force with tensions in Syria rising

NEW: Israel's Netanyahu personally lobbying US against F-35 sale to Turkey, sources say

• Netanyahu lobbied Rubio and also planned to talk about the F-35 sale with Trump today

Sean Mathew’s story with my assist

www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-...

Turkey and Israel mull deconfliction line in Syria, sources say Talks over a direct communication link, to avoid any misunderstanding between the two militaries, comes days after Israel struck the T4 airbase in Syria's Homs

Netanyahu informed his counterparts that Israel had a limited window to strike the T4 base before Turkey could position its assets there.

He reportedly said that once Turkey moved in, the base would be off-limits to Israeli operations.

www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

Turkey and Israel mull deconfliction line in Syria, sources say Talks over a direct communication link, to avoid any misunderstanding between the two militaries, comes days after Israel struck the T4 airbase in Syria's Homs

NEW: Turkey and Israel mull deconfliction line in Syria, sources say

• Netanyahu reportedly says he is making progress in a deconfliction line deal with Turkey

• Move comes after Israeli strikes in Syria

Story with Sean P Mathews

www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

The FT has received considerable criticism for having Elif Shafak write about Turkey’s anti-government protests.

Many Gen Z on X view her as superficial and cliché, arguing that she is out of touch with the protests since she has been living in London for years.

İstanbul, sorry

Tam olarak böyle

NEW: Israel isn’t looking for conflict with Turkey in Syria, a senior Israeli official says.

— Reuters

NEW: #Turkey wants no confrontation with #Israel in Syria, Fidan says

• Fidan also says If the new administration in Damascus wants to have "certain understandings" with Israel then that is their own business, he added.

— Reuters

NEW: Turkish Spy Chief Ibrahim Kalin attends top African intelligence conference in Kenya.

Kalin sits with Kenyan President and other senior officials.

More than 60 intelligence and security agencies joined the 2nd Mashariki Cooperation Conference in Naivasha, Kenya

Erdogan’s ally Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli emerges today in Ankara after two month long absence.

There were a lot of speculations on his health.

Thank you!

Needless to say, all the reports on X yesterday claiming that three Turkish engineers were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Syria were completely false.

But that’s X right now, we don’t have any source for anything anymore.

Hopefully this place would be less toxic so I would preserve my sanity