Levent Kemal
@leventkemal.bsky.social
2.1K followers 260 following 93 posts
Journalist - Analyst Conflict zones, terrorism, and security Bylines at @MiddleEastEye @AJStudies @ActaFabulae Circassian
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leventkemal.bsky.social
My latest:

Turkey eyes second-hand Eurofighter jets from Qatar

• Sources say Ankara close to securing a deal as Turkey’s defence minister visits Doha

With Ragıp Soylu
t.co/eSRe59QEC5
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-eyes-second-hand-eurofighter-jets-qatar
t.co
leventkemal.bsky.social
Rabbi Henry Hamra has become a parliamentary candidate in Syria. He will be standing in tomorrow's elections. If Henry Hamra is elected as a member of parliament, he will be the first Jewish member of parliament elected since 1940.
leventkemal.bsky.social
Our article with Ömer Özkızılcık for Atlantic Council about economic engagement between Syria & Turkey.

Turkey–Syria trade hits $2B in 2025, with $14B pledged for reconstruction and new pipelines powering ties. www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menaso...
Is a new era of Turkey-Syria economic engagement on the horizon?
The convergence of Turkey's and the Gulf's economic strategies in Syria presents an opportunity for Washington.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
leventkemal.bsky.social
Gazans have been fighting, dying, displacing and starved, and for two years the world has done nothing but talk.
leventkemal.bsky.social
Our exclusive report with
@ragipsoylu.bsky.social:

Turkey to train Niger army in fight against militant groups.

- Ankara plans to send battle-hardened military advisers to Niamey as Turkish government crafts a Sahel strategy to deepen relations

www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...
Exclusive: Turkey to train Niger army in fight against militant groups
Ankara plans to send battle-hardened military advisers to Niamey as Turkish government crafts a Sahel strategy to deepen relations
www.middleeasteye.net
leventkemal.bsky.social
My latest: Israel admits it has no precise intel on Hamas or hostages in Gaza City.

Yet it’s using robots, tanks & paratroopers to crush the city — treating every civilian as Hamas.
This is collective punishment, not counterterrorism.

www.middleeasteye.net/news/how-isr...
How Israel is using robots, exploding vehicles and paratroopers to erase Gaza City
Israeli officers say the army doesn’t have precise intel on Hamas or captives, but driving the Palestinians to the south is a clear objective
www.middleeasteye.net
leventkemal.bsky.social
Russia’s drone strikes in Poland show Cold War deterrence is broken. NATO shoots them down at huge cost, while Moscow bets the West has “a sharp sword but a shaky hand.”

Deterrence now needs not just weapons but political courage and cheaper defences. www.economist.com/internationa...
Cold war deterrence doesn’t work any more
Why the West is finding it so hard to deter China and Russia
www.economist.com
leventkemal.bsky.social
Israel Is Orchestrating an Economic Collapse in the West Bank

· Israel revoked 115,000 Palestinian work permits
· Unemployment >30% (was 12.9%)
· Israel withheld nearly $2.3B in Palestinian tax revenues
· PA debt soared to $13B (130% of GDP)

foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/17/i...
Israel Is Orchestrating an Economic Collapse in the West Bank
Job losses are only one factor in the equation driving its financial decline.
foreignpolicy.com
leventkemal.bsky.social
In summer, Steve Witkoff met UAE royal Sheikh Tahnoon, who controls $1.5T in wealth. Soon after, Tahnoon’s firm invested $2B in a Trump-linked crypto startup, and the White House approved Emirati access to vast numbers of advanced AI chips. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...
Anatomy of Two Giant Deals: The U.A.E. Got Chips. The Trump Team Got Crypto Riches.
www.nytimes.com
leventkemal.bsky.social
NEW: Kurdish refugee camp to be evacuated under Turkey, Iraq deal

• Makhmour Camp, seen by Ankara as a PKK stronghold, will be emptied by September under a Turkey-Iraq-KRG agreement, sources say www.middleeasteye.net/news/kurdish...
Kurdish refugee camp to be evacuated under Turkey, Iraq deal
Makhmour Camp, seen by Ankara as a PKK stronghold, will be emptied by September under a Turkey-Iraq-KRG agreement, sources say
www.middleeasteye.net
leventkemal.bsky.social
The UK is still flying surveillance missions over Gaza to help Israel - despite mass civilian deaths and starvation.

RAF Shadow R1s flew from Cyprus, gathering intel, as the MoD stays silent on current aircraft.

www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/a...
RAF still carrying out surveillance flights over Gaza for Israel
The UK is handing over intelligence from British spy planes to ‘help find the remaining hostages’ in the Palestinian territory, government sources confirm
www.thetimes.com
leventkemal.bsky.social
Before Afrin operation, Turkish officials told YPG leaders “When states reach an agreement, it's only a matter of time before organizations like you cease to exist.”

But YPG, confident in continued Russian support, refused to withdraw from Afrin.

It's a similar situation now.
leventkemal.bsky.social
I’ve never been one of those who study radicalism without ever speaking to a single radical, or who claim expertise on conflict zones they’ve never visited or visit only once a year. Nor do I produce so-called exclusive stories based solely on open sources. I make a point of avoiding that approach.
Reposted by Levent Kemal
wlacher.bsky.social
Forces from Zawiya have entered the capital and are attacking pro-Dabeiba forces in western Tripoli.

Haftar is sending forces westward, stoking concerns he may try to exploit the conflict to return to western Libya.

In short, the Dabeiba camp's attempt to consolidate power is backfiring big time.
leventkemal.bsky.social
The world is really changing. The former al-Qaeda leader is in Riyadh to meet the US president.

Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in Saudi capital Riyadh. bsky.app/profile/leve...
leventkemal.bsky.social
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow and meet with US President Trump.
leventkemal.bsky.social
Secretary Rubio will meet with Syria's Foreign Minister in Turkey - at NATO IFMM meeting in Antalya.
leventkemal.bsky.social
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow and meet with US President Trump.
leventkemal.bsky.social
Boko Haram launched an attack on a Nigerian army 153rd Special Forces Battalion base in the Marte area in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, killing several soldiers and leaving others missing.
leventkemal.bsky.social
JNIM captured armorued vehicle from Burkinabe army. The JNIM is carrying out intensive attacks challenging the Burkinabe army.
leventkemal.bsky.social
As climate change opens up the Arctic and geopolitical interest grows, Turkey has joined the Svalbard agreement with strategic intent.

The US, China and now Turkey are expanding their footprint in the Arctic.

t.co/vmR3wZ9BLT
leventkemal.bsky.social
595 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza since the collapse of the ceasefire on March 18.
leventkemal.bsky.social
The U.S. withdrawal is already underway, and Israeli attempts to halt it appear ineffective. Since early April, trucks have been seen entering American bases empty and leaving fully loaded, then crossing into Iraq—clear signs of a drawdown in progress. bsky.app/profile/leve...