Syria

A new anti-terrorism operation has been initiated in the south of Turkey, the country's interior minister announced on Aug. 12.

At least 1,448 security personnel will be part of Operation Yıldırım-5 in the southern province of Hatay's Amanos Mountains, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said at an inauguration ceremony.

The United States on June 17 imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's wife and dozens of others as it vowed a vast pressure campaign under a new law that has already rattled the war-torn nation's economy.

Ankara, Moscow and Tehran agreed to hold a videoconference and then a face-to-face meeting on the Syrian settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on June 16. 

Turkey and Libya's internationally recognized government are discussing possible Turkish use of two military bases in the North African country, a Turkish source said on Monday, with a view to a lasting Turkish presence in the south Mediterranean.

Turkey, Iran, and Russia aim to hold an Astana summit via videoconference as soon as possible in order to take the necessary steps for lasting peace in Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on June 15.

Turkey will host Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on June 14-15 ahead of a planned Astana summit to be held via videoconference. Zarif will be in Istanbul on June 14-15, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"During the visit, all aspects of our bilateral relations will be discussed and views on regional and international issues will be exchanged," the ministry added.

Turkish police detained seven suspects in raids in Adana, southern Turkey, for their alleged links to the YPG/PKK terror group, security sources said on June 14.

A planned visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Turkey for June 14 was postponed after a phone conversation between the foreign ministers on June 14, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

A Turkish soldier succumbed to his wounds from a terrorist attack in Syria, the National Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 12. 

He was injured in an attack on an ambulance on June 5 in the Idlib region.

The ministry expressed condolences to the martyr's family, the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish nation.

The Turkish defense minister and NATO secretary-general discussed Syria, Libya and regional issues in a phone call, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 12.

Hulusi Akar and Jens Stoltenberg also exchanged views on NATO issues, said the statement.