Erdogan – Trump
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ongoing geopolitical problems.
Turkey and the US had previously come to an agreement on the creation of a safe zone in the Syrian north-east along the border with Turkey. Despite recent rocky relations, the two agreed to coordinate in establishing a center for joint operations in order to establish the planned security zone, a decision which has not been approved by Damascus.
Iran and Saudi Arabia
US President Donald Trump approved a measure which will see additional troops sent to Saudi Arabia in order to strengthen anti-aircraft defenses at the country’s oil facilities.
The US Department of Defense says that the actual number of soldiers will be moderate. It also announced that scheduled deliveries of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE would be accelerated.
The announcement and decision were made after a Yemeni drone strike crippled Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil production facility. The US has, once again, blamed the attack on Iran, despite that forces in Yemen have claimed responsibility.
Turkish operations North of Iraq
Seven terrorists were neutralized during a Turkish anti-terrorist assault in northern Iraq as a part of Ankara’s ongoing operations against the Kurdish terrorist organization, the PKK. Airstrikes were launched against PKK targets in the Haftanin area leaving seven terrorists dead.