Turkey & Eastern Med

- Turkish court blocks access to news site T24 under internet law for promoting LGBTQ+ issues. - Turkey and Israel's relations deteriorate as Turkey blames Israel for destabilizing Syria through airstrikes, while no specific reaction from Israel is mentioned. - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney plans a bilateral visit to Turkey from October 21-23. - Mayor of Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, defects to President Erdogan’s ruling AKP party. - Russia reduces pipeline gas supplies to Turkey by 17% year-on-year in January-August 2026.

Recent headlines

• Syria arrests 5 former Assad regime militia, intelligence members for crimes against civilians — middle_east_monitor
• Beyond tariffs: The US–Turkey trade relationship needs a bigger bargain — atlantic_council
• Israel and Turkey’s ‘Cold War’ Is Heating Up in Syria — world_politics_review
• ShinyHunters Extorted Boeing Spin-off Prior to Arrests — krebs_security
• Hotel groups target Syria for tourism as it rebuilds from rubble of civil war — al_monitor