Free Republic

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...

Epstein was supposedly advising Arab countries on how to deal with America, had an audience scheduled with a Qatari prince, and close to Trump’s future ambassador to Turkey.

Nobody seems to have begun a Thanksgiving food/cooking thread, so I thought I would. I've never eaten okra, but have always wanted to try. This time of year, I can probably only get frozen here; does anyone have a recipe they like for frozen okra?

President Donald Trump is facing a pivotal decision that could define the next phase of his Middle East policy: whether to allow Turkish troops into Gaza as part of a U.S.-backed stabilization force. The move, which Ankara is lobbying for, has triggered alarm in Israel and among Arab allies who view Turkey’s ambitions and Islamist ties as a threat to regional stability. According to Middle East Eye, Turkey is preparing a brigade of at least 2,000 soldiers drawn from multiple branches of its military to join the mission once a U.N. Security Council mandate is approved. Israel has flatly rejected...

The Turkish Air Force C-130E went down in the country of Georgia as it was returning home from Azerbaijan. Videos show a Turkish Air Force C-130E Hercules cargo plane falling in multiple pieces from the sky earlier today. The center fuselage with the wings still attached is notably seen spiraling straight down toward the ground. The aircraft, which tragically had 20 individuals onboard, came down in Georgia as it was flying from Azerbaijan to Turkey. VIDEO AT LINK................. Footage of Turkish C-130 military transport plane crashing in Georgia after taking off from Azerbaijan https://t.co/6WPtqeJKc8 pic.twitter.com/ixA67w8Ndq— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) November 11,...

Hürriyet Daily News reports that two bone awls and four beads dated to 13,000 years ago have been discovered in Direkli Cave in south-central Turkey. Cevdet Merih Erek of Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University said that differences between the awls suggests that one may have been used to pierce stone beads, while the other is thought to have been used in working leather or making clothing. The beads are thought to have been placed in burials to adorn the dead, he added. "The differentiation in this tool industry and the use of various materials in different fields point to a...

Greeks and Turks have been at each other’s throats for centuries over many different things, but a rivalry seldom mentioned revolves around the origins of baklava. The history of this scrumptious delicacy is quite controversial, and unfortunately not very well documented. Many ethnic groups such as the Greeks, Turks, and Middle Easterners claim baklava as their own and prepare it in their own way. The “Baklava Conflict” has been simmering for centuries, but it erupted into full-blown war in 2006, when Greek Cypriots decided to call baklava their own. A definite sacrilege according to the Turks! Turkey, as an aspiring...

The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to 301 AD, when Armenia adopted Christianity as its national religion, and Armenian monks and pilgrims subsequently settled there. Today, Jerusalem is home to a small Armenian community comprised of descendants of Armenians whose ancestors came to the Holy Land after 301 AD, and descendants of Armenians who survived the Ottoman genocide and immigrated to Palestine in large numbers between 1915 and 1923, before the establishment of the Jewish state. On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Patrick Bet-David — an American media personality — on his podcast, that...

Another Hezbollah terrorist killed while gathering intelligence on Israeli troops in the area. A commander of Hezbollah’s terrorist Radwan Force was taken out in an Israeli strike earlier today in southern Lebanon. “The IDF on Monday struck and eliminated the terrorist Muhammad Ali Hadid, a commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon,” Arutz Sbeva/Israel National News reported. The 2500-strong Radwan Force, trained and armed by Iran’s Islamic Guard (IRGC), spearheads Hezbollah’s terrorist campaign on Israel’s border with Lebanon. 🔴 ELIMINATED: Muhammad Ali Hadid, a commander in Hezbollah’s “Radwan Force,” in the Nabatieh area, southern Lebanon....

When President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan arrived in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, it was not merely another state visit - it was a statement of purpose. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, two key pillars of the Turkic world, reaffirmed their shared vision for a future built on unity, connectivity, and strength. The visit symbolized the natural deepening of economic and cultural integration among Turkic nations, while sending a clear message that regional cooperation can serve as the foundation of global influence.As the strategic ties between Baku and Astana strengthen, Israel naturally perceives new opportunities for economic and security engagement across Central...

VENEZUELAN tyrant Nicolas Maduro is not merely complicit in organised crime — he leads it. From generals to judges, the very top of Venezuela’s political and military elite are deeply embedded in a powerful, sprawling cocaine trafficking network, experts say. Cartel de los Soles, translated as Cartel of The Suns, isn’t a cartel in the traditional sense. It’s a web of Venezuelan military, intelligence and political elites accused of taxing, protecting and moving cocaine with state resources. With parts of Maduro’s government deeply enmeshed in the drug trade, the lines between state power and organised crime have been blurred. Dr...

A fascinating hour-long interview with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as they outline the backstory to the Israel-Hamas peace agreement in Gaza. During a segment (prompted below) Witkoff and Kushner are outlining the step-by-step process as they engaged the leaders of Qatar, Turkey and Egypt. Witkoff reveals how the CIA was briefing them both, multiple times a day, and the briefing itself was exactly the opposite of what Emir of Qatar and Presidents of Turkey and Egypt were telling them. The CIA intelligence was the exact opposite of reality. WATCH: [video at source] What they are describing is EXACTLY why...

President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the Gaza war has not only won support from Israel, but also from the Arab and Muslim world — and from the Palestinian Authority, which has opposed his plans in the past. The 20-point plan, as Breitbart News has noted, would fulfill Israel’s goals of freeing the remaining hostages, as well as disarming Hamas and removing it from power. It also offers the prospect of a Palestinian state — if Hamas complies with the plan and the Palestinian Authority agrees to sweeping reforms of its policies and anti-Israel culture. If Hamas does not agree,...

The Arab states that screamed “genocide” at Israel were simultaneously deepening security ties with the IDF — because they all knew it was a lie. WASH POST Arab states expanded cooperation with Israeli military during Gaza war, files show David Kenner October 11, 2025 Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked U.S. documents reveal. Those military ties were thrown into crisis after Israel’s September airstrike in Qatar, but could now play a key role in overseeing the nascent ceasefire in Gaza. Over the past three...

In the rugged hills of Karaman province, Türkiye, a remarkable archaeological discovery has emerged from Topraktepe, the site of ancient Eirenopolis. During recent excavations, archaeologists uncovered five carbonized bread loaves dating back to the 7th–8th centuries CE, including one with a depiction of Christ and a Greek inscription translating to, “With our thanks to Blessed Jesus.”Unlike the traditional Pantokrator imagery of Christ as ruler and savior, this loaf portrays a “farmer” or “sower Christ,” symbolizing the connection between faith, labor, and agricultural fertility. The remaining loaves bear cross-shaped imprints, suggesting their possible use in early Christian rituals as Eucharistic or...

"If we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we’ve seen for so many years."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a U.S.-backed plan to end the war in Gaza and establish “a credible pathway” to a Palestinian state.The White House rolled out the plan shortly before President Donald Trump appeared with Netanyahu for a joint press conference at the White House. Trump announced that Israel had agreed to the 20-point framework, which the president said would deliver “peace in the Middle East,” during his opening remarks.“Today is a historic day for peace,...

French president Emmanuel Macron has been seen laughing as the leaders of Albania and Azerbaijan mock US president Donald Trump for claiming to have ended wars involving their countries. At the European Political Community meeting in Copenhagen, Macron was seen chatting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was seen storming over in mock fury, and telling Macron: 'You should make an apology … to us because you didn't congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan'. The comment referenced Trump's repeated confusion of Armenia and Albania when discussing the long-held...

SNIP Known in the Armenian community as “psycho Barbie,” Nadine had allegedly stalked an ex. She was also accused of keying his new girlfriend’s car and showing up at his home on Christmas Day in 2010 with her two children to try to win him back, according to a restraining order. “Nadine always believed she was above the law,” the former boyfriend said. With Menendez, friends said, she played hard to get, though, pitting him against Anton. When they began dating again in 2018, Menendez allegedly sent Capitol Police officers from Washington, DC, to his rival’s office in Hackensack, New...

Consequently, Trump’s technical team has sought to create a loophole, according to 4 sources familiar with discussions on the matter. Turkey will remove a component from the S-400 and declare it ‘inoperable’. It would be the anti-aircraft system equivalent of rendering a rifle inoperable by removing the bolt or taking the firing pin out of other firearms.

Her son believes it was a “tragic accident.”The sudden death of an internationally known vocalist has sparked sadness and questions about her demise. Güllü died on Friday, according to journalist Hakan Kanburoğlu. CNN Türk corroborates, also citing public comments from her son. The 51-year-old singer, whose real name was Gül Tut, fell from the balcony of her residence, said to be on the 6th story, in Çınarcık, Yalova, Turkey. Paramedics declared her dead at the scene. Police are investigating the manner of death, Cumhuriyet reports. Her current cause of death is presently listed only as “fall from a height.” Authorities...