Free Republic

“Washington and Erbil, Iraq — The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN. The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, the sources said. Iranian Kurdish armed groups have thousands of forces operating along the Iraq-Iran border, primarily in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Several of the groups have released public statements since the beginning of the war hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect....

... The newspaper cited former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as publicly calling Turkey a threat to Israel last week and accusing Ankara of aligning with a hostile regional bloc. Bennett warned Israel could not “turn a blind eye” to Turkey, adding that Tel Aviv must counter threats from both Tehran and Ankara...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that some traditional U.S. allies are "hemming and hawing about the use of force" as Washington presses forward with its campaign against Iran, raising fresh questions about NATO cohesion at a moment of escalation.Spain has refused U.S. permission to use certain bases for strikes on Iran, calling for de-escalation and adherence to international law. Turkey has criticized the operation and warned of broader regional destabilization, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was "saddened" by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death and denied that Turkish territory was used in the campaign. In a statement released on...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced deep concern and sadness on Saturday over U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, while condemning Tehran's drone and missile strikes on brotherly Gulf nations, APA reports citing Daily Sabah. Turkish Erdoğan added ⁠that the U.S.-Israeli ⁠attacks on Iran violated Iran's ​sovereignty ​and targeted ⁠the peace of the Iranian people. In a speech in Istanbul, he said ⁠Iran's ⁠attacks on Gulf countries were also unacceptable and he warned that without restraint and diplomacy the ⁠region risked being "dragged into a circle of fire."

'US Special Envoy Tom Barrack plays a key role in reshaping a policy in the Middle East...'See comments there.Here is an example:Darias @Yosefewz2: Tom Berrak works only for the interests of Turkey and turns the Middle East into hell by defending ISIS number 2, Ahmad al-Shara and the terrorism of Turkish Islamic Arabism. Feb 11, 2026 [https://x.com/Yosefewz2/status/2021611202384666739]

While Iranian protesters are being beaten, imprisoned, and killed by the Islamic Republic, Turkey’s government is busy running diplomatic interference for the mullahs. Ankara’s effort, marshaled by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, is not an aberration or a miscalculation. Rather, it is a revealing confirmation of Turkey’s long-standing ideological sympathy for Islamist regimes and movements across the Middle East. Turkish officials cloak their defense of Tehran in warnings about “regional instability,” arguing that the collapse of the Islamic Republic could create a dangerous power vacuum. But beneath this familiar talking point lies a simpler truth: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not...

Mostly unnoticed in the recent flurry of world events, from the people’s uprising in the streets of Iran to the lightning fast seizure and extradition of Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro, by the United States (U.S.) in a 2-3 January 2026 overnight raid, was an important meeting in Istanbul, Turkey of leadership figures, branches, and networks associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Many of these representatives came from Brotherhood groups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, but others also represented Brotherhood chapters based in Europe. Preceding the Istanbul meeting itself, on New Year’s Day, 1 January 2026, large pro-HAMAS...

Pope Leo visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday, removing his shoes in a sign of respect but not appearing to pray in his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship during his four-day visit to Turkey. The first U.S. pope bowed slightly before entering the mosque and was led on a tour of the expansive complex, able to hold 10,000 worshippers, by its imam and the mufti of Istanbul. Leo, walking in white socks, smiled during the 20-minute visit and joked with one of his guides, the mosque's lead muezzin - the official...

The potential for a military clash between Turkey and Israel is growing. There are several colliding points, and each one of them has the potential to become a full-scale war, despite mechanisms designed to avoid conflict. The most obvious is the Syrian front. Reports indicate that Turkey plans to help Syria’s transitional government develop a military force of approximately 200,000 personnel (approximately 10–15 divisions). Turkey has assumed the role of protector of Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa (al-Jolani, his nom de guerre). Israel, for its part, has assumed the role of protector of the Druze minority in southwestern Syria, an area...

Back in February, a Turkish refugee named Hamit Coskun decided to protest Islam by burning a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in London. Coskun is an atheist who left Turkey in 2022 to flee government persecution. As he stood outside the embassy, a crazed Muslim named Moussa Kadri, attacked him with a knife while shouting "I'm going to kill you." The entire incident was captured on video. [Warning: The Religion of Peace] https://x.com/i/status/1970548029024543034 Months later, the judge in the case has allowed Kadri to go free. That's right, the psycho knife-wielder who tried to kill a guy for insulting his...

The very fighters Beijing cites as justification for its hardline policies in Xinjiang – the Uyghurs of the Turkestan Islamic Party – have now been folded into Syria’s military establishment.Syrian Free Army soldiers and Coalition Forces assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, Task Force Armadillo provide security after departing a CH-47 Chinook during cold and hot load air assault training at Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, on Feb. 23, 2025. When Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorial regime collapsed in late 2024, Beijing lost a familiar ally in Damascus. For more than a decade, China had backed Assad under the banner of sovereignty and...

Taiwan has a “far more robust” claim to statehood than Palestine does, former British prime minister Boris Johnson said during a conference in Taipei, Taiwan, according to a Tuesday report by British outlet The Telegraph…. “Never in the wildest dreams of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, can he have believed – when he and his colleagues instigated the horror of October 7, 2023 – that only 22 months later the United Kingdom itself would be so craven and pathetic as to fall for Hamas propaganda and to turn against Israel,” Johnson wrote in his column in the UK outlet Daily...

Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington this week for a summit which could advance a much-anticipated peace agreement between the two. The meeting would send a strong signal to Moscow regarding the two countries' commitment to finding a solution without Russia. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are set to meet US President Donald Trump for a peace summit in Washington on Thursday and Friday, which could advance a much-anticipated peace deal between the two countries. After almost four decades of bitter conflict, Baku and Yerevan might finally settle for peace in the region...

Turkish authorities have released footage showing a man attempting to set fire to the interior of Hagia Sophia, the 1,500-year-old Byzantine landmark in Turkey. Security guards at the historic site quickly intervened and stopped the arson attempt, preventing any major damage. The incident took place on July 11 but the video was only made public now, drawing renewed attention to Hagia Sophia’s Byzantine heritage The man tried to ignite the Bible behind the lectern According to a police statement, the suspect wore a red cap and partially covered his face as he ignited a Bible near a column behind several...

Latest DevelopmentsSDF Clashes With Troops: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed on August 4 to have repelled an “attack” by “factions affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government” on four of its positions in the village of al-Imam. The incident occurred days after the Syrian Defense Ministry accused the SDF of launching a rocket barrage against an army outpost on August 2, which the SDF claimed was retaliation for an unprovoked government artillery attack on civilian-populated areas. Separately, the SDF announced on August 3 that five of its fighters had been killed during an Islamic State attack on a checkpoint...

The delegations of Russia and Ukraine have concluded the third round of talks in Istanbul. "It’s over," he said, News.Az reports citing TASS. The talks between the two countries’ delegations kicked off at 8:37 p.m. local time (5:37 p.m. GMT) and lasted for about 40 minutes.

The latest round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine has started at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, RT reported on Wednesday. According to the report, heads of the two countries' delegations are currently holding bilateral talks at the venue. The Russian delegation is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is leading the Ukrainian delegation.

A Ukrainian delegation, which arrived in Türkiye for talks with Russia, is holding a meeting with the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The meeting in Ankara has already commenced, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainska Pravda. No further details have been provided. To recall, Ukrainian and Russian officials are set to meet in Istanbul on July 23, for the third round of peace talks, their first meeting in over seven weeks amid ongoing U.S. efforts to secure a cease-fire. The talks will be held at the Çırağan Palace. Ukraine's delegation will be led by former Defence Minister and...

Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after being exposed to methane gas while searching a cave in northern Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said. At least 19 personnel were exposed to the gas during the search and clear operation on Sunday, and immediately taken to hospital. By Monday, 12 had died, the ministry said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he received the news with "great sorrow" and extended his condolences to the soldiers' families and to the Turkish Armed Forces. Methane gas is not directly toxic, but can be deadly as it can become suffocating, especially in tight, enclosed...

The mayors of three major cities in southern Turkey were arrested Saturday, state-run media reported, joining a growing list of opposition figures detained since the mayor of Istanbul was imprisoned in March. Abdurrahman Tutdere, the mayor of Adiyaman, and Zeydan Karalar, who heads Adana municipality, were detained in early morning raids, according to Anadolu Agency. Both are members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP. The CHP mayor of Antalya, Muhittin Bocek, was arrested with two other suspects in a separate bribery investigation by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Anadolu reported. CHP officials have faced waves of...