The Latest Breaking News from Ankara

Ankara hosts urgent mediation as Trump’s threats mount and Tehran weighs painful compromises to avoid conflict

Turkey is opposing calls for regime change in Iran as security forces carry out a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. The Turkish government accuses Israel of exploiting the unrest, and is leading efforts to block any military action against Iran – warning that a collapse of the regime could destabilise…

General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, military chief of Libya's UN-recognised government in Tripoli, died with seven others when the plane crashed near the Turkish capital Ankara.

Libyan army chief Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad was confirmed killed in a plane crash after the plane took off from Ankara.

Earlier Tuesday evening, Turkey’s air traffic controllers said they lost contact with the plane

Turkey shot down a drone from Black Sea on Monday, then found two crashed drones near Istanbul, in escalating incidents in Turkey's airspace, which Ankara has linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.

For years, regional rivalries have limited cooperation between Turkey and Iran. Now, shared security concerns over Israel are providing common ground. During a recent Tehran visit, the Turkish foreign minister called Israel the region's "biggest threat".

Ankara is voicing alarm over a spate of attacks on Russian tankers in the Black Sea, with fears that strikes on ships carrying oil and other key commodities could threaten global trade and pose environmental dangers to Turkey, which has the longest coastline in the strategic sea.

The pontiff is in Lebanon for the second leg of his apostolic journey, the first since his election, which has already taken him to Turkey, Ankara, Iznik and Istanbul