Author: Daily Sabah

Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to rekindle their fierce rivalry in a high-stakes El Clasico showdown for the Spanish Super Cup title on Sunday at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Having triumphed in the 2023 edition with a commanding 3-1 victory over Real Madrid, Barcelona enter this year’s final seeking redemption for their crushing 4-1 defeat in 2024. In their earlier victory, goals from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri secured a memorable title in the post-Messi era. However, last year’s loss was marked by a Vinicius Jr. hat trick and a Rodrygo strike, leaving…

Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will reportedly make his first foreign visit to neighboring Türkiye in the coming period. Al-Sharaa’s visit will be symbolic of the support Türkiye has given to Syria’s anti-regime forces during the revolution and he will be thanking President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency. Neither Türkiye nor Syria has commented on the visit. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan were the first to visit al-Sharaa in Damascus days after anti-regime forces led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took the capital and Bashar Assad fled to Moscow. Türkiye…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the importance of taking immediate action for the reconstruction of Syria, including lifting sanctions in the post-Assad period, as he spoke with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over the phone on Thursday, the Presidential Communications Directorate said. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, and regional, and global developments, including the Syria crisis. “Stressing the importance of taking action without delay to reconstruct Syria, President Erdoğan expressed his belief that lifting sanctions on Syria, along with Italy’s leadership in this matter, would benefit the process,” the directorate said in a statement.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday that 52,622 Syrian refugees returned to their countries in one month since the fall of the Assad regime in neighboring Syria. Yerlikaya visited Cilvegözü, a major border crossing in the Reyhanlı district of the southern province of Hatay, where scores of refugees pass daily. The minister terms first returnees as “pioneers” who will give an idea to those mulling returning about the current situation in postwar Syria. The minister said Türkiye hosted more than 2.8 million Syrian nationals. “Our Syrian brothers and sisters, since 2017, have returned to their homeland in a safe,…

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday evening convened a special security meeting regarding Türkiye’s “increasing influence” in the Middle East, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post quoting two Israeli officials. The meeting suggests how much importance Israeli officials ascribe to and possibly even fear the possibility that Türkiye’s influence in the region will grow following the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria, Jerusalem Post wrote. The meeting included Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and the defense establishment, the sources said. It was organized…

The Distinguished Guest Day of the Blue Homeland military exercise was held on Thursday in Aksaz, a naval base in southwestern Türkiye. National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler inspected units participating in the exercise. The exercise began on Jan. 7 and will end on Jan. 16. Throughout the annual drill, naval forces will perform maneuvers in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas. In the early hours of Thursday morning, frigates departed from the base in the Marmaris district of Muğla, a popular vacation destination that also happens to be located in close proximity to the Greek island of Rhodes, whose…

Marcus Rashford, once a cornerstone at Manchester United, now finds himself on the transfer market, with Galatasaray joining the race for his signature. The 27-year-old English forward, deemed surplus to the Red Devils’ needs, is preparing to depart Old Trafford, and his name has also surfaced in rumors linking him to Galatasaray’s archrivals Fenerbahçe. Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that Galatasaray engaged in talks with Rashford this week, though the player has made it clear that his priority lies within Europe’s top five leagues. Other suitors have also emerged, including Serie A’s Milan and Borussia Dortmund, with the latter coached…

Armenia may consider withdrawing Russian border guards on the border with Türkiye if Ankara and Yerevan reach a mutual level of trust, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Wednesday. “If an active, open border between Armenia and Türkiye is established, grounded in mutual trust, then we can reflect on and engage in discussions regarding this matter,” Mirzoyan told reporters Wednesday, addressing questions about the potential reduction of Russian border guards along the Armenian-Turkish border. Mirzoyan noted that Russian border guards were initially stationed at Zvartnots Airport and along the border with Iran to assist Armenia until the country could establish…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan repeated the call for a two-state solution to Cyprus, as he said a better future was possible for the island. “There is no other option but a two-state solution for Cyprus, ” Fidan told a joint news conference with Republic of Turkish Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar in Lefkoşa on Wednesday. He noted that it was possible for Türkiye, Greece, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration to come together and find a solution for a better future for Cyprus. The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong struggle between Greek…

The Turkish opposition’s Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) on Wednesday lost two more parliamentary seats after two of its founding members announced their resignations. DEVA’s Balıkesir representative Burak Dalgın criticized the party’s change of direction as it seeks to form a parliamentary group with other smaller opposition parties, the Felicity Party (SP) and Future Party (GP). Criticism of the party has long been reaching the administration, Dalgın said in his statement on X. “That deep-rooted change our people demanded with first surveys then their votes in the 2023 and 2024 elections unfortunately never materialized,” Dalgın said. “We cannot expect different…