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."

The Netherlands’ counter-terrorism authority has included Israel in its latest report as one of the state actors assessed to pose a threat to the country’s security. The country is thus placed alongside Iran, North Korea and Turkey, among others. The Netherlands’ National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) published on July 17, 2025, its annual report “Assessment of threats from state actors 2025” (Beoordeling Dreigingen door Staatactoren 2025), where Israel is listed for the first time as a security-threatening actor. Israel’s placement on the list is linked to assessments that the country uses informal methods to influence public opinion and...

Rights group ADF International has condemned Turkey’s rejection of a European Parliament resolution on the expulsion of foreign Christians, with critics calling the policy an “attack on Christians” and urging authorities to respect due process and religious freedom. The European Parliament resolution focused on cases involving at least 300 foreign Christian pastors, missionaries and their families who were deported or denied re-entry under administrative measures known as the N 82 and G 87 security codes.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that member states of his newly-formed Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion toward humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Trump said the commitment will be formally unveiled on Thursday, February 19, at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. In addition to financial pledges, Trump said participating nations have committed thousands of personnel to both an International Stabilization Force and to local police units to maintain security and peace for Gazans. “On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J....

Initially, archaeologists believed that humans began to live with cats about 9,500 years ago in... parts of the present-day eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. This timeline coincides with the beginning of the Neolithic era, when agriculture started to spread. The grains used in farming attracted rodents, which then enticed the wildcats to come and eat the rodents. Neolithic humans then likely kept the wildcats around to keep the rodents away, paving the way for domestication. Cat remains dating [circa 9500 years ago] have been discovered in present-day Cyprus, indicating that the animals were a part of daily life by then.Cats...

'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]

Greece will cooperate with Israel on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday after meeting his Israeli counterpart in Athens."We agreed to exchange views and know-how to be able to deal with drones and in particular swarms of unmanned vehicles and groups of unmanned subsea vehicles," Dendias said in joint statements with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz."We will also work together in order to be ready to intercept cyber threats."With strong economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training centre on Greek territory and have held joint military drills in recent years.Greece...

Washington’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative begins in Armenia, and Vice President JD Vance is in the South Caucasus to pave the way. The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) may serve as the foundation stone of a broader network of transportation and economic corridors designed to secure critical Eurasian supply chains for the United States and to counter Chinese and Russian influence. However, the region lies on the periphery of U.S. geopolitical engagement; therefore, TRIPP’s implementation will require pragmatic solutions and a return to realpolitik in order to avoid aggressive countermeasures by other regional powers....

2.8.2026 QUESTION: 1.What date, in 2024, did Wikipedians succeed in 'elevating' the so-called "Gaza genocide" from 'allegations' to supposed 'fact'? 2. Who are the editors promoting it? 3. Did the so called "reliable sources" include (Islamist bigot, expansionist) Erdogan's TRT/Anadolou; Hamas linked Euro-Med; MSF (- whose members included Hamas); Qatar's Hamas-linked al Jazeera; anti-Israel blog mondoweiss and activists/journalists of Haaretz? And were UN's Francesca Albanese (with an antisemitic record at least since 2014 and dubbed 21-century Goebbeles) and Pillay/Kothary (of the 2022 "Jewish control" trope) team as well as ($30 membership, no qualifications) IAGS - central to it? 4. Did...

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of talks, Pakistan's Minister for Defence Production said, a signal they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years. Raza Hayat Harraj told Reuters on Wednesday the potential deal between the three regional powers was separate from a bilateral Saudi-Pakistani accord announced last year. A final consensus between the three states is needed to complete the deal, he said.

While Washington searches for ways to weaken Iran’s murderous rulers, our supposed NATO ally Turkey is working overtime to keep the mullahs alive — and in power. This week’s diplomatic tug-of-war over US-Iran negotiations is a win for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s Islamist strongman, who has led a cynical campaign to stall for time and block US and Israeli military action against the Islamic Republic after its brutal crackdown on civilian protesters. He’s feigning concern that military action would spark “regional instability,” but his real goal is simple: Keep Iran’s theocracy from falling — and stop the emergence of a...

A quiet diplomatic decision just redrew the geopolitical map of the Red Sea. This video breaks down why Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is a calculated power move tied to global shipping lanes, Berbera Port, and rising tensions with Turkey—far beyond a symbolic gesture. We connect the dots between the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, Gaza’s future, and a brewing regional rivalry. If you enjoy clear, no-nonsense geopolitics, drop your take in the comments and consider subscribing. .....

Archaeologists working in southeastern Turkey have uncovered new evidence that expands the known reach of one of the world’s earliest monumental cultures. The find is reshaping how researchers understand the Neolithic transition in Upper Mesopotamia. Stone structures featuring Göbeklitepe-style T-pillars have been identified in the Samsat district of Adıyaman. The remains surfaced after falling water levels in the Atatürk Dam reservoir exposed land that had remained underwater for decades. Discovery triggered by retreating waters The site lies near Kızılöz village, where receding waters revealed stone features along the shoreline. After a report from residents, teams from the Adıyaman Museum Directorate...

Göbeklitepe-style T-shaped pillars discovered in Adıyaman reveal the wider Taş Tepeler culture and reshape the Neolithic map of Upper Mesopotamia. A remarkable new archaeological discovery in southeastern Türkiye is reshaping our understanding of the Neolithic world. In Adıyaman’s Samsat district, structures resembling the iconic “T”-shaped pillars of Göbeklitepe have emerged after water levels receded in the Atatürk Dam reservoir. This find strongly suggests that the cultural sphere known as Göbeklitepe or Taş Tepeler culture extended much farther than previously documented. The discovery was made near Kızılöz village, where falling water levels exposed stone features along the shoreline. Following a local...

Seven countries. One collapsing system. From Iran’s 99% currency crash to Lebanon’s total economic wipeout, from Pakistan’s nuclear-armed instability to Sudan’s civil war and famine, state failure is spreading across the Muslim world. These aren’t isolated disasters—they’re feeding each other. Economic collapse fuels unrest. Unrest drives refugees. Refugee shocks destabilize neighbors. Extremism fills the vacuum. In this video, we break down the dangerous cascade linking Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Sudan—and why this moment may be the most serious threat to regional and global stability in a generation.

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...

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...