ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the conflict in Syria needs to end immediately, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Saturday.

Syria's leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, foreground, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, walks in the presidential palace ahead of his meeting with Walid Ellafi, Libyan minister of state for communication and political affairs, at Damascus, December 28, 2024. AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy

Turkey has conveyed its views regarding Israel's air strikes on Syria to Israeli authorities via its intelligence agency, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday, adding Ankara was also in close contact with regional powers and the U.

Member of the European Parliament Andreas Schieder on Saturday urged Turkey to embrace peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and called for stronger European Union engagement across Syria and the region.

An eruption of violence in Syria this week entangled government forces, Bedouin tribes, the Druze religious minority and neighboring Israel, and highlighted just how combustible the country remains se

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's military actions in Syria, accusing the country of being a "terrorist state" as well as a destabilizing force in the region.

Violence in Syria's Druze province has triggered Israeli military action, complicating relations with Turkey and creating a power vacuum that Iran could exploit.

Isa Giga, 32, resigned from his job as a technical support consultant job and flew to Turkey before crossing into wartorn Syria in 2015.