Türkiye, Iran Support Syria's Territorial Integrity, Unity

Türkiye's President Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pose for pictures with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara, Türkiye, January 17, 2023. (Handout via Reuters)
Türkiye's President Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pose for pictures with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara, Türkiye, January 17, 2023. (Handout via Reuters)
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Türkiye, Iran Support Syria's Territorial Integrity, Unity

Türkiye's President Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pose for pictures with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara, Türkiye, January 17, 2023. (Handout via Reuters)
Türkiye's President Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pose for pictures with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara, Türkiye, January 17, 2023. (Handout via Reuters)

Türkiye and Iran have reiterated their support for a political solution in Syria and preserving its unity and territorial integrity. They also stressed the need to solve the many problems of the Syrian crisis within the framework of the Astana track.

“Türkiye and Iran support Syria’s territorial integrity and political unity,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara on Tuesday.

“Within the framework of the Astana process, of which Türkiye, Russia and Iran are the guarantor countries, we believe work must be done to solve many problems,” added the top Turkish diplomat.

Cavusoglu stressed that cooperation and coordination with Iran “is ongoing within the framework of the Astana process, and that Ankara has a common desire to activate the political track, the work of the Constitutional Committee, and other steps in Syria to establish stability.”

The minister added that the process of normalization between the intelligence institutions in Türkiye and Syria “has begun.”

He stressed that Türkiye “will not allow the establishment of a terrorist state on its southern borders.”

Cavusoglu added that he also discussed with Abdollahian the fight against terrorism.

The Turkish minister said that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is present in both Syria and Iran, noting that his country has taken “necessary measures” at home and outside the country to fight the group.

He pointed out that the US and Russia “did not fulfill their commitments under a 2019 agreement to remove the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) away from the Turkish borders.”

Türkiye often targets Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria, claiming that they are affiliated to the PKK.

Türkiye has conducted three offensives against the YPG since 2016, and it is threatening to carry out a fresh military campaign against them soon.



Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.

Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict sparked by Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living hostages who were taken that day and are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached, reported Reuters.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he hoped to clinch a deal "in a few days", which could then lead to talks for a more permanent end to hostilities.

But one Palestinian source, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Israel's refusal to accept Hamas's demand to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress.

Another said mediators had asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha.

"The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel's insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal," one Palestinian source said.

The source said Israel was proposing to maintain military forces in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, they added.

"Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimize the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement," the source said.

A second Palestinian source accused the Israeli delegation of having no authority, and "stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination".

- Latest strikes -

The Gaza war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Of the 251 hostages seized, 49 are still being held, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

At least 57,823 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 14 Palestinians were killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes across the territory on Saturday.

More than 30 people were killed on Friday, including 10 people who were waiting for aid handouts, the agency said.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it had attacked "approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip" in the last 48 hours.

Targets included "terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional terrorist infrastructure sites", it added.

Two previous ceasefires -- a week-long truce beginning in late November 2023 and a two-month one from mid-January this year -- led to the release of 105 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second Palestinian source said "some progress" had been made in the latest talks on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and getting more aid to Gaza.

Netanyahu, who is under domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralizing Hamas as a security threat was a prerequisite for any long-term ceasefire talks.

That included the group giving up weapons, he said, warning that failure to do so would mean Israel would have to do so by force.