Tensions simmer as Azerbaijan-Turkey alliance unsettles Iran

Iran is increasingly worried over Azerbaijani and Turkish geopolitical gains in the region as calls for “Greater Azerbaijan” push a hot button in Tehran.

Tensions are rising between Iran and Azerbaijan over Baku’s plans for a land connection to its exclave of Nakhchivan via Armenian territory, threatening to undermine Turkish-Iranian ties as well.

Turkey’s Russian-built nuclear plant could amplify Moscow’s regional influence

Some experts are warning that Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russia’s Rosatom, might become a tool to advance Russian interests in the region.

A potential security threat has emerged for NATO and Europe at large: the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear plant. Experts say the project by Russia and Turkey could allow Moscow to establish a commercial port in Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Mersin. 

Turkey strikes near US base in Syria after Pentagon calls for de-escalation

The US military says it opposes Ankara’s plans to send ground troops against Syria’s Kurds, but it has stood down in the face of similar attacks in the past.

A suspected Turkish drone strike hit a Kurdish-led militia base in northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing two members of a local US-backed Syrian counterterrorism unit and wounding three others, spokespeople for the group told Al-Monitor.

De această dată Turcia este foarte determinată

Ieri, forţele armate turce au lansat o amplă şi cuprinzătoare operaţiune în nordul Irakului şi în nordul Siriei. O operaţiune aeriană sub numele de Pençe-Kılıç (Gheară-Sabie-n.trad.) Ordinul de luptă l-a dat comandantul suprem Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Nu numai presa turcă, ci şi presa din întreaga lume a acordat spaţii largi acestei operaţiuni ample, comentându-se că reprezintă o “ripostă la atentatul PKK care a avut loc în Taksim”.

The Opposition’s Grand Mufti of Syria: Who is Sheikh Osama al-Rifai?

Who is Sheikh Osama al-Rifai, the new Grand Mufti of Syria appointed by the Opposition after the position was abolished by Assad.

The opposition Syrian Islamic Council announced the election of Sheikh Osama al-Rifai as the Grand Mufti of Syria Syrian and international circles welcomed this move as preserving the position of the fatwa that the Assad regime tried to abolish in the interest of its agendas.

Syria’s Kurds express concerns over possible Turkish attack

The Kurdish-led authority in northeast Syria called on residents on Saturday to unite against any possible attack by Turkey, warning that such an offensive would lead to long war.

The statement by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria came a week after a Nov. 13, explosion targeted Istanbul’s bustling Istiklal Avenue — a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants — and left six people dead, including two children. More than 80 people were also wounded in the attack, which came as a stark reminder of bombings in Turkish cities between 2015 and 2017, crushing the public’s sense of security.

Dozens killed in Turkish air strikes against Kurdish militants in Syria, Iraq

Turkey announced on Sunday it had carried out air strikes against the bases of outlawed Kurdish militants across northern Syria and Iraq, which it said were being used to launch “terrorist” attacks on Turkish soil.

The raids in northern and northeastern Syria overnight, primarily against positions held by Syrian Kurdish forces, killed at least 31 people, British-based war monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 

Iran strikes Iraqi Kurdistan again, warns of possible ground operation

Several areas of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were targeted overnight after an IRGC commander warned of possible ground invasion and the Iranian ambassador set out demands.

A massive orange fireball lit up the sky in an area outside the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on the night of Nov. 20-21, as sirens sounded at the US Consulate within the city itself.