Turkey

Istanbul, Turkiye – Just hours after Israel launched strikes last week against Qatar – a United States-designated “major non-NATO ally” and one of Washington’s closest Gulf partners – pro-Israel commentators quickly shifted their attention to Turkiye.

In Washington, Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, suggested that Turkiye could be Israel’s next target and warned that it should not rely on its NATO membership for protection.

On social media, Israeli academic and political figure Meir Masri posted, “Today Qatar, tomorrow Turkey.” Ankara responded sharply. In unusually harsh language, a senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote: “To the dog of Zionist Israel … soon the world will find peace with your erasure from the map.”

For months, pro-Israel media outlets have steadily escalated their rhetoric against Turkiye, portraying it as “Israel’s most dangerous enemy”.

Israeli commentators have also framed Turkiye’s presence in the eastern Mediterranean as a “threat” and its role in rebuilding post-war Syria as a “new rising danger”.

With Israel’s regional aggression escalating and its war on Gaza showing no sign of ending, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan retaliated in August by suspending economic and trade ties with Israel.

“In Ankara, this [anti-Turkish] rhetoric is taken seriously, with Israel seen as seeking regional hegemony,” Omer Ozkizilcik, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera.

“Turkiye increasingly feels that Israeli aggression has no limits and enjoys American support,” added Ozkizilcik.

The strikes on Qatar also likely underscored Ankara’s doubts about US security guarantees as a NATO ally. Despite Doha’s special ally status with Washington, Israel faced no visible pushback from the US, leading to questions over whether the US would truly see any attack on Turkiye as an attack on itself, as the NATO charter dictates.

Unlike many Arab states, however, “Turkiye has long ago understood that it cannot rely on the US or NATO for its own national security interests,” said Ozkizilcik.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself now increasingly boasts of his country’s regional expansionist goals. In August, when asked whether he believed in the idea of a “Greater Israel”, he replied: “Absolutely.”

For Ankara, such rhetoric is not just symbolic – it signals an Israeli vision of dominance that stretches across the Middle East, potentially clashing head-on with Turkiye’s own regional outlook.

On Sunday, Fidan told Al Jazeera that Israel’s “Greater Israel” vision – which some religious Zionists believe extends into modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan – aims to “keep the countries in the region weak, ineffective, and especially to leave Israel’s neighbouring states divided”.

Over the last few weeks alone, Israel – in addition to continuing its genocidal onslaught in Gaza and nearly-daily raids in the occupied West Bank – also attacked Yemen and Syria, and is accused of hitting the Gaza aid flotilla in Tunisia.

Against this backdrop, Turkiye and Israel are already in a “geopolitical rivalry”, noted Ozkizilcik, adding that Israel’s actions clashed with what the analyst views as the “Turkish agenda to have strong [centralised] states” rather than decentralised states where multiple forces can hold power.

Regional hegemon

The sense that Israel is trying to become the region’s sole dominant power seemed to be confirmed in July when Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria, made a startling admission: that Israel would prefer a fragmented and divided Syria.

“Strong nation-states are a threat – especially Arab states, [which] are viewed as a threat to Israel,” he said.

The subtext for Ankara was clear: Israel believes it needs to be the hegemon in the region to feel secure.

Israel’s actions bear this out. It has bombed Syria dozens of times since December 8 – when former President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow – and grabbed Syrian territory in the immediate chaos.

It decapitated much of Hezbollah’s leadership in 2024 and still occupies parts of Lebanon despite a ceasefire, long seeking to weaken or destroy the group.

In June, Israel attacked Iran, sparking a 12-day war that struck Iranian military and nuclear facilities, killing senior commanders and nuclear scientists, and dragged in the US.

The attacks aimed not only to weaken Tehran’s defence and nuclear capabilities but also to push Washington towards regime change, targeting one of Israel’s strongest rivals in the region.

Israel may now view Turkiye as the next potential challenge to its regional hegemony, explaining its adamant stance that Ankara will not be allowed to establish new bases in Syria that “could threaten Israel” – as Netanyahu has previously said.

“The first manifestation of Turkish-Israeli friction will most likely appear in the Syrian front in the land and air,” warns Cem Gurdeniz, a retired Turkish admiral and architect of the Blue Homeland doctrine, a maritime strategy that calls for Turkiye to assert its sovereignty and safeguard its interests across the surrounding seas – the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea.

“In parallel, Israel’s deepening military and intelligence footprint in Cyprus, tightly woven with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration under American auspices, is perceived in Ankara as a deliberate attempt to fracture and contain the Blue Homeland,” Gurdeniz told Al Jazeera.

“To Ankara, this is not a defensive posture by Israel but an offensive encirclement strategy that could threaten both Turkish maritime freedom and the security of the Turkish Cypriot people,” he added, referring to Turkiye’s ties to the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only Turkiye recognises, rather than the rest of Cyprus, which is ruled by Greek Cypriots.

The division of Cyprus is a major source of discontent between Turkiye, Greece and Cyprus.

Reports that Cyprus received Israeli air-defence systems last week are likely to raise alarm in Ankara.

In tandem in Syria, Israel has made no secret that what it considers to be a stable Syria “can only be a federal” one with “different autonomies”, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told European leaders at a meeting in Brussels in February.

Turkiye, on the other hand, backs the new Syrian administration, which insists on a centralised and unitary state.

For now, tensions between Israel and Turkiye can be described as “controlled”, says Gokhan Cinkara, director of Necmettin Erbakan University’s Global and Regional Studies Centre in Turkiye.

“At present, the riskiest scenario for Turkiye would be an uncontrolled outbreak of intergroup conflict in Syria. For this reason, Ankara is likely advising the new Syrian administration to act with a degree of rational pragmatism,” Cinkara told Al Jazeera.

“The immaturity of Syria’s security apparatus makes any potential intergroup clashes harder to contain, and risks turning it into protracted ethnic and sectarian conflicts. In the short term, therefore, adopting a unitary model seems difficult,” he added.

Red lines and risks

Netanyahu, for his part, is pushing for a “Balkanised” Syria, divided along ethnic and religious lines, demanding the demilitarisation of much of southern Syria, mostly populated by the country’s Druze population.

That is a move that, if implemented, could light the touchpaper and ignite demands from members of other groups in the country, including the Kurds and Alawite, for their own tailored versions of de facto autonomy.

“Turkiye, however, has clear red lines in Syria,” says Murat Yesiltas, director of foreign policy research at SETA, a think tank in Ankara with close ties to the government.

“The US and Israel’s attempt to reshape the regional order carries various dangers and risks, deepening fragmentation in the Middle East,” Yesiltas told Al Jazeera.

In March, Israel’s most influential security think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), published a piece that warned against the nascent peace process between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is seeking to close a chapter on a four-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.

The INSS warned that this could “weaken the ability of the Kurds in Syria to continue to operate autonomously” and contribute to Ankara “expanding its influence in southern Syria, in a way that could increase the threat to Israeli freedom of action”.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz made clear that swaths of newly occupied territory in southern Syria will be held for an “unlimited amount of time”.

As Turkiye scoped out potential military bases in Syria’s Homs province and the main airport in Hama province in coordination with the newly established Damascus government, Israel bombed the sites.

“If Tel Aviv persists on this path, a conflict between Ankara and Tel Aviv will become inevitable. Turkiye cannot accept policies that perpetuate instability on its southern border,” said Yesiltas.

But full-blown rivalry is “not inevitable” as both sides recognise the costs of confrontation, particularly given economic interdependence, Andreas Krieg, associate professor of security studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera.

“Israel’s threat to Turkiye is not conventional military aggression but rather the targeting of Turkish interests via indirect means,” said Krieg, speaking about Ankara’s interests in Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean and the South Caucasus.

Given Washington’s full and seemingly unconditional support for Netanyahu’s bid to “reshape the region”, Krieg says Ankara’s prescription is to “strengthen strategic deterrence, especially through expanded air-defence, missile systems and intelligence capabilities” and to pursue regional coalitions with Qatar, Jordan and Iraq while maintaining open channels with Washington to “avoid full strategic isolation”.

“Ankara must recognise that future flashpoints are more likely to emerge in the grey zone – covert operations, air strikes, and proxy competition – than in formal declarations or diplomacy,” he added.

A MUM who bought a tummy tuck off a Facebook as nearly died after an infection ate her stomach from the inside out.

Soreena O’Malley, from Hull, saved up for years to undergo the knife but was left “crying every single day” and a future in a wheelchair.

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The cosmetic procedure saw her bedridden with a gaping wound across her stomach.

The 34-year-old said she has “no tummy” left after the 360-degree liposuction in Turkey.

Soreena told Hull Live: “It is not very nice having to be bed-bound three months after a surgery that I have paid for because I was so self-conscious about my body.

“I wouldn’t wear bikinis on holiday. It really did take me a long time to save this money because it was something I have wanted since having my child.

“I have no tummy. My whole tummy is gone and it could take well up to two years to heal. It is a massive hole.”

Her husband Declain added: “She nearly died from it.”

Soreena recalled arriving at Turkish hospital and being handed consent forms with no English translation.

She is now warning people against opting for surgery abroad, and buying into dodgy advertisements on social media.

The 34-year-old required a skin graft and specialist care when she returned to the UK.

Her family have set up a GoFundMe to help cover medical fees, and support Soreena’s daughter.

Declain told how donations would help “give my little girl her mum back” after the ordeal tore their family apart.

The couple are desperate for funds to cover corrective surgery, a wheelchair and legal action.

Soreena fears her mobility may never return and says the nightmare has devastated their mental health.

NHS England was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

This comes after another woman told how she was left rotting in a dingy hotel and wanted to die after a £15,000 botched tummy tuck.

Sara Platt, 34, is now taking the Turkish doctor who operated on her to court.

Speaking to the Mail, she said: “I was left with three days to live. I suffer with nightmares every night. I’ve got extreme PTSD.

“If somebody touches my stomach straight away, I can feel pain and that’s going to be with me forever.”

As soon as she woke up from the 13-hour operation – which included the tummy tuck, a breast implant and three other procedures – she knew something was catastrophically wrong.

The pain was so severe that she begged her dad to let her die – while her right breast was purple, she claimed.

Over the following days, Sara’s health deteriorated further – as brown liquid began to seep from her body.

She later spent eight weeks at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery.

Now, the traumatised mum, who claims to be suffering from PTSD, will be forced to return to Turkey for medical examinations – as part of legal proceedings against the surgeon.

Elsewhere, another mum underwent the same horror when she contacted sepsis after a failed tummy tuck abroad.

Mum-of-one Cennet Lo went under the knife within hours of getting off her plane in Turkey with plans to have a tummy tuck, liposuction and Brazilian butt lift.

But the 28-year-old has been left traumatised from the ordeal after she regained consciousness during the invasive procedure.

Once she was under, the mum recalls horrifically waking up and witnessing her own operation.

A woman recently booked a holiday to Turkey and she can’t believe how much it cost. Suzanna was floored when she saw her bill for her recent trip away in the sun

A woman booked a holiday to Turkey, but was left floored when she realised how much it cost, and it’s not the only thing that’s left people stunned at the holiday hotspot recently. Suzanna, known as suzannatravelsolo on TikTok, recently admitted she jetted off for a few days in the sun to have a break from “rainy Liverpool“.

Even though she enjoyed her time away, she admitted she was taken aback when she realised how much it would cost her to spend the weekend in Turkey. In a candid video shared online she claimed she bagged a weekend away in Turkey for “less than £200.00”, and this included taxi fees, so it was pretty good.

The news may surprise some people as it’s been heavily documented that, in recent years, tourists think Turkey has become expensive. Just a few months ago, Brits admitted they were looking for “cheaper options”, as they claimed the hotspot has witnessed such high levels of inflation.

However, Suzanna said she had a bargain break away and she opened up about it in a few videos. However, she did warn it can be come expensive when you actually land at the destination.

In a different video, Suzanna explained whether she thinks it’s cheaper in Turkey or Hurghada, Egypt. She said she did notice it was pricey when she was out and about.

Suzanna explained: “The beach clubs in Hurghada are much better and a lot cheaper. I mean, if you drink, you’re going to spend a lot of money, because it was £12.00 for a cocktail.

“If you wanted vodka and Sprite, a vodka was just £11.00 on its own without a mixer. £11.00 for a vodka. I found local restaurants in the area I’m staying – the food has been lovely.

“You can get good value if you shop around. Tourists spots are just so, so expensive. Turkey will always be a part of my life, but Hurghada wins hands down for value and for what you get for your money.

“I mean, to just go on a boat trip here you’re talking €60.00. In Hurghada, we do it for €30,00, so there’s a big difference in the price. Turkey is still there in my heart.”

In the video, Suzanna also stated she had bed and breakfast, and people were quick to comment and share their thoughts. Some had similar views.

One said: “Love Turkey but my favourite will always be Egypt. We used to go to Luxor for two weeks and then go to Hurghada for a few days in between.”

Another added: “Definitely stay away from tourist spots, but I prefer that anyway – wherever I go.” Some people love Turkey though, as someone else wrote: “I’d personally choose Turkey – we’ve had the best holidays there, twice last year.”

One more commented: “Just came back from Hurghada and absolutely loved it – can’t wait to return. Great people – fab holiday.”

Is Turkey becoming expensive?

There are a few reasons why prices are said to have shot up in parts of Turkey. If you’re wondering about the situation, Statista has offered an explanation as to why it may be happening.

The website reads: “Domestic producer price indices have been continuously rising, which has directly resulted in a price increase in all consumer goods and services. Accordingly, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in all commodity groups increased extremely since 2022.

“In the same year, the food and non-alcoholic beverages category had one of the highest inflation rates in the CPI. This particularly affected Turkish consumers, as these products accounted for the highest share of household expenditure in 2023.

“Since 2020, food prices have increased significantly around the world, and Turkey is no exception. Although inflation has started to slow down recently, food prices in Turkey continue to go up steadily, increasing by 48.6 percent in November 2024 compared to the same month in the previous year.

“It is not surprising that food inflation has not simmered down, as the producer price index (PPI) of agricultural products followed a constant increasing trend in the country over the past few years.”

However, it’s said Turkey is taking steps to help boost tourism, including addressing rising prices, making tourist offerings more diverse and investing in infrastructure. The Government is said to be working to reduce inflation, and some people are also promoting niche tourism areas like spas and health care.

The postponed hearing could lead to the removal of Ozgur Ozel, the Republican People’s Party’s chairman.

A court in Ankara has postponed the hearing of a controversial case that could oust the leader of Turkiye’s main opposition party, amid protests against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On Monday, the hearing about alleged internal irregularities during the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 2023 congress was adjourned until October 24.

Prosecutors have accused CHP leaders of vote-buying at the internal event in 2023 in which Ozgur Ozel was elected chairman, allegations the CHP says are politically motivated.

The case is the latest in a long line of challenges faced by the party.

The Turkish government has rejected accusations of political interference, insisting the judiciary acts independently.

Officials said the cases against CHP figures stem from corruption charges, which the party denied and argued are designed to weaken the opposition.

Turkish authorities have jailed hundreds of CHP members this year for alleged corruption, including Erdogan’s main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested in March.

Critics say the crackdown is an attempt to destabilise Turkiye’s oldest political party, which won a large victory over Erdogan’s AK Party, or Justice and Development Party, in local elections last year.

On Sunday, Ozel told thousands of protesters in the national capital that the case was part of Erdogan’s wider attempt to undermine democracy.

“This case is political, the allegations are slander,” said Ozel, who claimed CHP was experiencing the “grave consequences” of government oppression.

“Anyone who poses a democratic threat to the government is now the government’s target,” he suggested.

The government denies the claim. Erdogan has described the CHP network as corrupt, comparing it with “an octopus whose arms stretch to other parts of Turkiye and abroad”.

Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said the CHP congress case had been criticised by legal experts.

“Many legal experts are against the procedure because, according to the Turkish laws, any irregularity related to a political party’s internal dynamics should be taken care of by the higher election board, not by a local board,” Koseoglu noted.

Imamoglu, the CHP’s presidential candidate, also accused Erdogan and his allies of anti-democratic actions.

“This isn’t about the CHP, it’s about the existence or absence of democracy in Turkiye,” he said, after appearing in court on Friday in an unrelated case.

The CHP has had a chequered history with democracy despite founding modern Turkiye. The CHP pursued authoritarian policies in the past that suppressed ethnic and religious minorities and it has been a key factor in how Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) were able to rise to power and hold it.

There is also an historical distrust of the CHP from many communities who will continue to stand with the AKP regardless.

After Imamoglu’s arrest, Turkiye experienced its largest protests in more than a decade.

In advance of the Ankara court ruling, at least 50,000 people took part in a protest in the capital on Sunday.

Over the weekend, the Turkish authorities arrested 48 more people as part of the inquiry into the CHP.

On September 2, a court removed the leadership of the party’s Istanbul branch over the allegations of vote-buying at its provincial congress. The decision was seen by analysts as a test run for the congress case that was adjourned on Monday.

Following the ruling earlier this month, Turkiye’s stock market plummeted by 5.5 percent, raising fears about its already fragile economy.

A woman recently went to a restaurant in Turkey, and was floored by the cost of a three-course meal. When you’re abroad, you never know what to expect to pay

It’s no secret that the cost of visiting Turkey has risen, with various tourists having brought the matter to people’s attention in recent months. However, a woman who lives in Turkey recently revealed she was floored when she discovered how much it is to enjoy a three-course meal at a restaurant at the popular holiday destination, and Brits are equally as surprised.

The woman, known as lifeoflottss on TikTok, recently drew people’s attention to the food discovery in a candid video, and she was left pretty stunned. When you’re willing to look around, it turns out you can really find some bargains, with many people being left stunned by the price of the meal.

She explained she found the eatery in Marmaris and felt she had to show it off. It seems not everything is super expensive at the destination, despite reports of Turkey being “dead” due to inflation.

In the clip, Lotts said: “Hello everyone, if you’re staying in the Armutalan area in Marmaris then you can actually get a three-course meal for £3.50. If you really want to try traditional Turkish kitchen food then I would really recommend coming here.

“I’ll show you inside to show you what the food looks like. You can sit in and eat, or you can just get a takeaway. I absolutely love this food – all freshly made.

“Really nice, traditional Turkish kitchen food. Chef’s kiss. You’ve got puddings, drinks. You can get three courses for £3.50, or you can buy them separately. Honestly, it’s so cheap and the food is unreal.”

After she shared the video, people had all sorts of questions. In the comments, she confirmed the prices stay the same “all year around”, and she told intrigued holidaymakers to look for Anadolu Yemek Evi, Marmaris, when they visit.

One person said: “Love this place. My husband goes here to get us food all the time. Lovely food.”

Another added: “The food is the best type of food. Unbelievably cheap.” A third replied: “Tried this place in June when we were over. Great value. The food was really nice, and all the bread on the table was unreal.”

Meanwhile, a fourth commented: “I went there in May. Cheap as chips.” Someone else also chimed in with: “Bargain.”

Anadolu Yemek Evi also has rave reviews on TripAdvisor too. It has an average rating of five stars, with one customer saying it serves up the “best meal” in Marmaris. It just goes to show you can find affordable dining at the destination when you look around.

Is Turkey becoming expensive?

Even though Lotts’s story is positive, there are a few reasons why prices are said to have shot up in parts of Turkey. If you’re wondering about the situation, Statista has offered an explanation as to why it may be happening.

The website reads: “Domestic producer price indices have been continuously rising, which has directly resulted in a price increase in all consumer goods and services. Accordingly, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in all commodity groups increased extremely since 2022.

“In the same year, the food and non-alcoholic beverages category had one of the highest inflation rates in the CPI. This particularly affected Turkish consumers, as these products accounted for the highest share of household expenditure in 2023.

“Since 2020, food prices have increased significantly around the world, and Turkey is no exception. Although inflation has started to slow down recently, food prices in Turkey continue to go up steadily, increasing by 48.6 percent in November 2024 compared to the same month in the previous year.

“It is not surprising that food inflation has not simmered down, as the producer price index (PPI) of agricultural products followed a constant increasing trend in the country over the past few years.”

However, it’s said Turkey is taking steps to help boost tourism, including addressing rising prices, making tourist offerings more diverse and investing in infrastructure. The Government is said to be working to reduce inflation, and some people are also promoting niche tourism areas like spas and health care.

The Syrian government has blamed Israel for a series of attacks around the country.

The attacks early on Tuesday targeted sites in and around the city of Homs in western Syria and the coastal city of Latakia.

The Syrian government called the attacks “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic”, according to Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

Israel has attacked Syria hundreds of times since the regime of President Bashar al-Assad fell on December 8 and also conducted a land grab in the chaotic early hours after al-Assad fled to Moscow. Under the al-Assad regime, Israel waged a secretive campaign of aerial bombardment against Syria’s military infrastructure, but attacks have intensified since the war on Gaza began nearly two years ago and even more so since the fall of al-Assad.

In the first days after the fall of the al-Assad regime, Israel launched a devastating series of attacks that destroyed much of Syria’s military infrastructure in an attempt to create a “sterile zone” in southern Syria.

Israel and Syria have held direct talks in recent months, and while Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has ruled out normalisation, the talks are aimed at halting Israel’s aggressive actions towards Syria and reaching some kind of security deal.

So why then has Israel decided to reinitiate attacks? Here’s what you need to know:

What exactly happened?

The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian air force base in Homs, causing huge explosions. No casualties were reported.

Israeli fighter jets also attacked a military barracks in Latakia although there were no reports of casualties there either.

These strikes came on the back of Israeli attacks near Damascus in late August that killed six Syrian soldiers.

The Saudi Arabian news channel Al-Arabiya reported that the site targeted in Homs held Turkish-made rockets and aerial defence equipment. Turkiye has been one of the biggest allies of the new Syrian government and has reportedly agreed to provide Syria with Turkish weapons systems and logistical tools in a military cooperation accord signed in mid-August.

But as relations between Turkiye and Syria grow stronger, tension has been building between Turkiye and Israel. As Israel continues its war on Gaza, which international scholars have called a genocide, Turkiye closed its airspace to Israel and banned Israeli ships from Turkish ports in protest against the war on Gaza.

What is going on between Turkiye and Israel?

Turkiye’s good relations with the new government in Damascus have drawn a reaction from Israel.

Israel has also been accused of trying to undermine Syrian stability by voicing support for Kurdish and Druze autonomy.

This has led to a growing war of words between Turkiye and Israel with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “biggest obstacle to regional peace” in June, shortly after Israel attacked Iran.

Meanwhile, regional newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Netanyahu has been holding security meetings over concerns of Turkiye’s growing influence in Syria and Netanyahu is leaning on Israeli media to portray a confrontation with Ankara as inevitable.

What is Syria saying?

The official Syrian Arab News Agency quoted Syria’s Foreign Ministry as calling the attacks “a direct threat” to Syrian security and regional stability.

Israel’s continuing and unprovoked attacks on Syria are “part of a series of aggressive escalations pursued by Israel against Syrian territory”, and the government rejects “any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or harm its national security”, the ministry said.

The ministry called on the United Nations to take a “clear and firm stand to put an end” to Israel’s attacks, which it called a “flagrant violation” of international law.

What about Israel?

Israel has not commented yet.

But Israeli forces have been busy with attacks in Syria, Qatar, Gaza and Lebanon, and have been conducting raids on the occupied West Bank. There was also an attack in Tunisia on one of the boats in the aid-carrying Global Sumud flotilla heading towards Gaza that volunteers on board suspect Israel of perpetrating.

Are the peace talks between Israel and Syria dead?

Not necessarily.

Syrian officials have said many times that they do not want a war with Israel. Syria has enough internal troubles going on along its coast, in the south and with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast, not to mention clashes along the border with Lebanon. Syrian authorities are also painfully aware that Israel is technologically and militarily stronger and backed by a global superpower in the United States, which has been crucial to removing sanctions on Syria and giving the country a chance to revive its economy.

As for Israel, ceasefires or other such agreements with other countries haven’t held it back from launching attacks on them.

A hat-trick from Mikel Merino, a brace from Pedri and a Ferran Torres strike condemn Turkiye to a shellacking at home.

Mikel Merino’s hat-trick helped Spain to thrash hosts Turkiye 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier as the European champions remained firmly in control of Group E.

The hosts had no answer to Spain’s dominance on Sunday, undone time and again by the visitors’ speed and finesse, with a helpless Turkish defence torn apart on every counterattack.

Spain lead the group with six points from two matches, while Turkiye and Georgia sit on three points from the same. Georgia beat Bulgaria 3-0 earlier on Sunday.

The visitors struck early as Pedri found the net in the sixth minute, slotting past goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.

Merino doubled Spain’s tally in the 22nd minute, finishing off a slick passing move inside the box with a simple unmarked strike past the Turkish defence.

In first-half stoppage time, Merino struck again, this time latching onto a pull-back and firing home to give Spain a three-goal cushion at the interval.

The onslaught resumed eight minutes into the second half when a Turkish corner backfired, Ferran Torres led a rapid counterattack and finished off a sharp exchange inside the box to make it four.

Brimming with confidence, Merino completed his hat-trick just four minutes later, capping another breakaway with a stunning left-footed curler from distance that flew into the top corner for Spain’s fifth.

Pedri added another one for Spain in the 62nd minute, arriving unmarked at the end of another swift break to slot home his second for the night.

Elsewhere in the UEFA qualifiers, four-time world champions Germany struggled for more than an hour against Northern Ireland, before scoring twice in three minutes in the second half to earn a 3-1 victory on Sunday.

With the score level at 1-1, a tap-in by substitute Nadiem Amiri in the 69th minute and a free kick from Florian Wirtz made sure of Germany’s first win in Group A.

It was also the first victory for Julian Nagelmann’s team in their last five matches, and followed their shock 2-0 loss to hosts Slovakia on Thursday – their first ever away defeat in a World Cup qualifier – in their opening group match.

In Sunday’s other Group A game, Slovakia eked out a 1-0 win away at Luxembourg.

In Brussels, meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne underlined his talismanic role for Belgium with a stunning goal to break the deadlock and set his side on their way to a comfortable 6-0 win over Kazakhstan in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday.

It was threatening to become a frustrating night at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium for the Belgians before the 42nd-minute strike, but after that, they were able to go on and register a comfortable victory with both De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku scoring twice.

Belgium have 10 points from four games in Group J, ahead of Wales on goal difference but trailing leaders North Macedonia, who beat Liechtenstein 5-0 earlier on Sunday by a point. North Macedonia and Wales have played five matches each, however.

Elsewhere, Memphis Depay set a new scoring record for the Netherlands as his double ensured they survived a scare in beating Lithuania 3-2 away in their qualifier on Sunday.

Two goals for the 31-year-old Depay took his national team tally to 52, moving ahead of Robin van Persie’s previous record, and putting the Netherlands at the top of the Group G standings with 10 points from four games – ahead of Poland on goal difference after the Poles won 3-1 at home to Finland on Sunday.

Spain cruise to 3-0 win in Bulgaria while Turkiye hold off Georgia fightback as Group E of World Cup qualifiers begins.

Spain kicked off their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win in Bulgaria.

The Euro 2024 champions eased to a comfortable victory on Thursday at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia with first-half goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was able to bring on Rodri Hernandez and Dani Carvajal for their first international appearances in several months after both recovered from severe knee injuries.

Spain, who won the World Cup for the first and only time in 2010, are expected to top Group E, which also contains Turkiye and Georgia, to reach the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico directly.

This was the first time Spain have faced Bulgaria in more than 20 years, with the last competitive meeting at the 1998 World Cup.

Oyarzabal leads the line again for Spain

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi set up his former Real Sociedad teammate Oyarzabal for the opener with a fine pass as Spain took the lead after five minutes.

Radoslav Kirilov hit the post for the hosts before Chelsea defender Cucurella thumped in to double Spain’s lead after the ball dropped into his path.

The game was effectively over before the break when Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal whipped in a corner, which Merino nodded home, reflecting Spain’s domination.

Arsenal midfielder Merino hit the crossbar in the second half as Spain continued to dominate. Teenager Yamal was bright and dangerous without scoring.

Man City midfielder Rodri and Real Madrid’s Carvajal made their long-awaited returns off the bench as De la Fuente shuffled his pack. They had missed seven and nine months each, respectively.

The coach also handed Jesus Rodriguez his international debut in the final stages, with the Como winger replacing Yamal to round off a fine evening for La Roja.

“We are incredibly demanding, [the players] most of all – they were disappointed with the second half,” said de la Fuente.

“We’re happy, but we have to keep taking steps forward.

Up next for Spain is another away game, a trip to Turkiye on Sunday, while Bulgaria travel to face Georgia the same day.

“[Turkiye] will be a higher-level game and more demanding,” the Spanish coach added. “We have to look to be better every day.”

Turkiye given last scare by Georgia

Turkiye won 3-2 away to Georgia earlier on Thursday in the other Group E match, but only after surviving a late scare.

The away side had been reduced to 10 men when Baris Alper Yilmaz was shown a straight red card in the 71st minute.

By that point, they already led through Kerem Akturkoglu’s strikes either side of the interval and a third-minute header from Mert Muldur.

Zuriko Davitashvili had pulled one back for the home side in the 63rd minute, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s effort eight minutes into injury time meant a more nervous finish than Turkiye had anticipated.

On August 31, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in Tianjin, China, to attend the 25^th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Türkiye has begun to regularly attend SCO summits in recent years. President Erdoğan attended the Samarkand summit in 2022 for the first time as president. He then continued the tradition by attending the Astana summit in 2022 and the Tianjin summit this year. With Erdoğan’s participation in the SCO summit, the Turkish media’s coverage of the summit also increased. Especially when browsing news channels, I see that with Erdoğan’s arrival in Tianjin, various news stories and commentators are evaluating the importance of the SCO and the summit. However, as always, Turkish TV channels and news outlets continue to compare the SCO with the EU and NATO while covering SCO news. Comparing the SCO and the EU is like comparing apples and oranges; they are functionally different structures, yet this comparison comes up every year. On the other hand, while some TV commentators point out that there is no complete unity within the SCO and BRICS and that there are internal contradictions, they generally do not mention the rift within NATO. However, even their statement that Türkiye’s participation in the SCO summit is not a sign that it will break away from the West clearly shows how much of a dissenting voice Türkiye is within NATO. Furthermore, there is no mention of the rift between Trump and the EU within NATO following Donald Trump’s election as US President.

Erdoğan attended the SCO summit with a large delegation consisting of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Chief İbrahim Kalın, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, and held comprehensive bilateral talks at the summit. Throughout the summit, Erdoğan met with the heads of state of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and China for bilateral talks. In general, Türkiye has deep cooperation with SCO countries in the fields of energy, trade, tourism, and investment. In particular, Türkiye has a large trade volume with Russia and China. For instance, during his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye’s cooperation with Russia in the fields of trade and energy and invited Putin to Türkiye, demonstrating the strength of bilateral relations. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin also emphasized bilateral cooperation and thanked Erdoğan for his mediation and efforts towards peace regarding the Russia-Ukraine War. It should not be forgotten that Türkiye has not strained its relations with Russia since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, taking a different stance from NATO.

In his article titled “A Shared Path to Peace and Justice” published in the People’s Daily prior to his trip to China, Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye was pursuing peace diplomacy on the Russia-Ukraine and Gaza issues and that China was playing a leading role in establishing a just world. The emphasis on a just world in Erdoğan’s article is always part of the multipolar world discourse. For many years, Erdoğan has used the expectation of a multipolar world order and the emphasis on “a just world” as his own unique discourse, saying that “the world is bigger than five.” While highlighting the same issues in both his speech at the SCO summit and his meeting with Xi Jinping, Erdoğan did not fail to emphasize Türkiye’s geostrategic position as an energy and transportation hub in the Middle Corridor.

Deepening Turkish-Chinese Relations in Recent Years

Erdoğan’s trip to China for the SCO Summit carries significance within the context of deepening Turkish-Chinese relations in recent years. With this visit, Erdoğan visited China for the first time in six years. Erdoğan last made an official visit to Beijing in 2019. The two heads of state last met in July 2024 at the SCO summit in Astana. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping last visited Türkiye in 2015 for the G20 Summit in Antalya, Türkiye has been hoping for Xi Jinping to make an official visit to Türkiye for many years. In fact, President Erdoğan indicated after the BRICS summit in Kazan that Xi Jinping would pay an official visit this year. Xi’s official visit to Türkiye may have positive repercussions for the bilateral relations that have developed in recent years.

There has also been a significant increase in visits to China by state officials and AKP strategists in recent years. Most recently, in June 2024, bilateral relations progressed positively with the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. After a long hiatus, Fidan became the first high-level official to visit Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and conveyed the messages that “Türkiye fully supports China’s territorial integrity” and “Urumqi and Kashgar are Turkish Islamic cities. They are a bridge between China and the Islamic world. The unity of the people is our wealth.” During his visit to China, Fidan also expressed Türkiye’s desire to join BRICS, and President Erdoğan emphasized his wish to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan. In our meetings with various diplomats and businesspeople following Fidan’s visit to China, they emphasized that China had a positive impact on Turkish businesspeople. Direct flights between Urumqi and Istanbul even began after Fidan’s visit to Xinjiang. Then, in June 2024, he visited the capital Beijing with AKP Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala and a delegation, and a “Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation” was signed between the AKP and the CPC. In November 2024, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek visited Beijing. In February 2025, a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Trade Mahmut Gürcan visited Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, and a Turkish Pavilion was opened in the Urumqi Free Trade Zone. On the other hand, it should be noted that Türkiye’s former Ambassador to Beijing, İsmail Hakkı Pekin, played a positive role in the development of Turkish-Chinese relations and was well-liked by the Chinese. For instance, Ambassador İsmail Hakkı Musa stated in an interview with Global Times that “Türkiye does not subscribe to anti-China rhetoric and hopes to enhance economic cooperation with China.”

Conclusion

All countries that are members and dialogue partners of the SCO are in favor of establishing a more just and multipolar world. In this regard, they follow a political line consistent with Türkiye’s interests and Erdoğan’s rhetoric of a fair world. Many countries, such as Russia, China, Iran, and India, are subject to Western and US tariffs. In this regard, the establishment of a more just financial system is the most significant demand. Although there are contradictions among the member states of the organization, they find common ground on the establishment of a more just order and financial system despite their differences. In particular, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s message in his speech that we should seek common ground while putting aside differences. In this case, it shows that they have put their differences aside and found common ground in multipolarity. On the other hand, countries such as China and India are both global production centers and energy and mineral-rich countries like Russia, Iran, and Kazakhstan, and Türkiye has deep relations with these countries. However, Türkiye’s predicament between BRICS and the SCO on one side and the EU and NATO on the other should not be left to Türkiye’s special position, historical alliance tradition, and the AKP’s indecisiveness in foreign policy. Türkiye should adopt a strategy of gaining effective positions in the SCO and BRICS institutions by leveraging its deepening relations with Russia and China in recent years and ensuring a solid position in the emerging multipolar world.

A rainy part of the world where locals’ tea-drinking habits verge on obsessive. That may sound familiar, but a shared love of tea is where similarities between Turkey’s Rize province and the UK start and end. In fact, this corner of the country feels more like a mythical land, a fairytale mix of mist-shrouded mountains and dramatically plunging valleys cloaked in impenetrably deep, dark forests.

Despite the dramatic landscapes, international tourism has never really taken off here. Running between the eastern edge of the Black Sea and the rugged Pontic Alps, just shy of the Georgian border, it’s been a tricky spot to reach, historically (a bus journey of about 19 hours from Istanbul – though an airport opened in 2022, which cuts this to two hours).