• I traveled to every continent in a year. Some countries won me over more than others.
• Countries like Australia and Argentina were my favorites to visit, and I'd happily go back.
• I'd skip returning to Ghana or Japan and instead visit other places on their respective continents.

Between October 2023 and September 2024, I visited all seven continents.

I had been to most continents, like Europe, several times before, but it was my first time visiting Australia and Antarctica.

During the year, I visited new-to-me countries like Vanuatu, and I also stuck to tried-and-true favorites like Italy and Spain.

All in all, I visited 18 countries. Three were my favorite stops, but there are two I'd skip on my next trip around the world.

I loved visiting Australia.

I kicked off my year of travel with a visit to Australia. I was blown away by the country's landscapes, both above and below the water.

I loved getting to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef, where I swam with turtles, friendly sharks, and thousands of colorful fish.

The highlight of my visit to the country, however, was a the-day stay in the Australian Outback. I was especially astonished by the cultural significance of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, home to cave drawings estimated to be nearly 30,000 years old.

Even still, I feel like there's so much more I want to see in Australia.

I can't wait to return to Argentina.

South America is my favorite region of the world, and a short visit to Argentina had me longing for more.

From Patagonia's iconic hiking trails to Buenos Aires' late-night dining scene to Mendoza's picturesque vineyards, Argentina offers an ideal blend of everything I love about South America.

After Australia, I headed to Argentina to board an expedition cruise to Antarctica. Before embarking, I made time to quickly see some of the country's highlights.

I explored the café culture of Buenos Aires, indulging in delectable alfajores, which are shortbread-like cookies filled with creamy dulce de leche. Later, I headed to the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia, and hiked through Tierra del Fuego National Park.

My short, four-day visit to Argentina barely scratched the surface, and I can't wait to plan another trip back.

Turkey was amazing, too.

Turkey quickly became one of my favorite countries during my visit to all seven continents.

Its major city Istanbul was a gift to my senses. Labyrinthine bazaars took me back in time, while modern, jam-packed shopping centers were just a few blocks away.

Visiting the Cappadocia region left me further impressed as I watched a dazzling display of hot-air balloons fly over the unique landscape and rock formations.

Also, booking a traditional cave hotel is a must-do in the region — it's as cozy as it is magical. Overall, there's so much I'd love to revisit and still explore in Turkey.

However, I'd skip Ghana next time.

To visit all seven continents in one year, I needed to plan a trip to Africa. Having previously traveled to Egypt and Morocco, I visited Ghana to try something new.

During my 10-day trip, I hopped along the coast to busy cities and off-the-grid beach towns. I was in awe of the organized chaos of Ghana's markets and I appreciated how the cuisine featured textures and flavors completely foreign to my American palate.

A visit to its Cape Coast Castle, used in the Atlantic slave trade, was both heavy and insightful. It was one of the most perspective-shifting moments during my entire year of travel.

Despite loving my trip to Ghana, I feel I saw most of the country's main tourist attractions in one visit. On my next trip to the African continent, I might visit somewhere like Tanzania or South Africa instead.

If I'm in Asia, I'd rather go back to South Korea instead of Japan.

I had high expectations for my trip to Japan, but I think I'd skip the country next time I head to Asia.

My final trip of the year was to South Korea and Japan, where I traveled by bicycle to lesser-visited regions of each country. After over 600 miles of riding, I found I preferred South Korea to the latter.

Not only did I think South Korea had better bicycle infrastructure, with car-free bike paths spanning much of the country, but also I preferred the country's cuisine, weather, and culture.

Japan's temples and cities were awe-inspiring, but the oppressive summer heat made exploring miserable.

Additionally, as a vegetarian, I found the country's cuisine options limited as many focused on fresh seafood. On the contrary, I loved South Korea's spicy dishes and communal dining culture.

I'm not opposed to visiting Japan again in the future, although certainly not in the summer. Regardless, I'd probably pick South Korea instead if I'm in Asia.

• My friends and I ended up visiting a dental office during our girls' trip to Turkey.
• I got affordable, top-notch medical services that would've cost me way more in the US.
• Now, I get why Turkey is a popular place for medical tourism and I'd go back for other services.

When I booked a girls' trip to Datça, Turkey, I envisioned snorkeling in the Aegean Sea, strolling through ancient Greek ruins, climbing on limestone cliffs, and eating lots of baklava.

I did all of those things — but I also found myself on an unplanned trip to the dentist that turned out to be an incredible value.

During the trip, we decided to stop by a local dentist's office

My friends and I spent a month living in a charming apartment one block from the Mediterranean in the town of Datça, Turkey.

The four of us split some costs for the 30-day trip, so I only paid $700 for our rental car and lodging. My transatlantic plane ticket was $1,000, and I spent less on food than I would've at home in California.

However, the biggest savings of my whole trip came in an unexpected form: medical tourism.

The medical tourism industry in Turkey has seen rapid growth in recent years.

Many of the most popular offerings are cosmetic surgeries like hair implants, plastic surgery, and dental implants and veneers, known as "Turkey teeth." Specialized clinics in bigger cities like Istanbul even cater specifically to tourists who book trips with medical care in mind.

Although we didn't travel here for this purpose, my friends and I were curious about local offerings. So, we stopped by the dentist around the corner from our apartment.

I was impressed by the dental care in Datça — and it didn't take away from our vacation at all

When my friends and I walked into the office at 3 p.m. on a Friday, the dentist offered us free checkups on the spot. The facility felt clean and modern, and our appointments were quick.

I got a panoramic x-ray ($15), and the doctor determined that one of my wisdom teeth was impacted and should be removed soon. Staff said they could fit me in for a cleaning ($49) and a minor surgery to remove the wisdom tooth ($110) on Monday.

I was a little nervous about getting surgery in a foreign country, but I was reassured by my surgeon's medical credentials, the professional vibe at the office, and the positive Google reviews.

I took them up on the offer, and three days later, my teeth felt clean and my wisdom tooth was gone. In total, I paid just $183 for a checkup, x-ray, cleaning, and tooth extraction with local anesthesia.

The dentists were professional and kind, and the experience felt more personal than medical visits back home.

When my friend told one dentist how difficult it is for us to get dental care in the US, she gave us her personal WhatsApp number with instructions to message her if we ever had tooth-related questions.

Since it was so easy to schedule appointments, our dental care didn't detract from our vacation at all. I missed out on a few days of snorkeling after my surgery, but the savings were worth it.

My dental work would've cost so much more back home in the US

Getting surgeries and medical procedures abroad isn't without risks, and it's important to research providers and clinics before booking appointments.

However, I had such a positive experience at this local clinic that I'd consider going back to Turkey for other services.

Every service I got was far cheaper and easier to book than what I'm used to back home in California. In my hometown, I often struggled to get an appointment with a dentist who accepted my insurance. Sometimes, I'd wait months for a checkup.

Eventually, I started to pay out of pocket so I could get appointments more easily, but my bills would be so high that I'd rarely go to the dentist.

A new-patient appointment similar to the one I had in Turkey can cost over $400 at my local dentist in California. A panoramic X-ray goes for about $165, and wisdom-tooth removal can cost between $200 and $400 per tooth — and this price doesn't include general anesthesia.

By getting my dental work done in Turkey, I saved about $700, which is about as much as I spent throughout my monthlong trip.

Although I'm not considering any big aesthetic changes, I'll plan my future international trips with medical tourism in mind until healthcare becomes more affordable in the US.

Olympic alpine skier Berkin Usta, 25, was tragically killed alongside his father in a fire that consumed a closed ski resort in the northwest region of Turkey early Thursday morning.

Usta, who represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, was staying at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, around three hours south of Istanbul, with his family when the blaze first started at around 5:30 a.m. 

The Bursa governor’s office said that 12 staff members were present at the time of the fire, and several people were hospitalized with smoke inhalation. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Usta and his father, Yahya Usta – president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association – were killed in the blaze. Yahya Usta’s wife is believed to have survived the fire. 

"We have learned with deep sorrow that our national skier Berkin Usta, who represented our country at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the Erzurum 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, and his father, former national skier Yahya Usta, passed away due to a hotel fire in Uludağ, Bursa," Team Turkey said in post on X. 

"We wish God's mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community."

DAUGHTER OF VICTIMS ALLEGEDLY MISTAKENLY MURDERED BY ORDER OF FORMER OLYMPIAN SAYS 'HE'LL HAVE TO FACE KARMA'

IOC President Thomas Bach also released a statement following the tragic news. 

"We have learned about the tragic death of Turkish Olympic skier Berkin Usta, and his father, in a terrible fire. Berkin lived his Olympic dream by competing at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in Alpine skiing. Our thoughts are with their family and friends." 

Local officials believe the fire began in the hotel cafeteria. The family was staying on the fifth floor of the hotel, despite its doors being permanently shut in early January after its accommodation permit was canceled. It was not immediately clear why they were at the hotel. 

The fire at the six-story, 30-year-old hotel was put out within two hours, but not before the blaze had consumed much of the upper floors. 

Thursday’s deadly fire comes just months after another popular ski resort in the region caught fire, killing 79 people in January. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

In a video that fills me with wonder at being alive in 2025, someone in an inflatable Pikachu costume was seen loping down the street in Turkey alongside anti-Erdoğan protesters fleeing from the cops.

The protests—reportedly the largest mass movements in the region in decades—started last week, after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested for alleged corruption. Ekrem is the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has attacked LGBTQ+ and women’s rights and democracy, and critics say is leading the country into authoritarianism and autocracy.

Early Thursday morning, as students tried to issue a statement outside of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, security forces launched pepper spray, water cannons and plastic pellets at the demonstrators and arrested nearly 1,900. 

People are protesting in several major cities in Turkey, and Pikachu was at one in Antalya, according to local news outlets and social media. In the video, the person in the mascot suit hauls yellow nylon ass as fast as a pair of short, inflated legs can carry them—which is surprisingly fast, actually, considering how they’re keeping up with the people running all around them. The original video was captured by Ismail Koçeroğlu, a photojournalist at Akdeniz University in Antalya.  

On Instagram, Koçeroğlu posted another photo of Pikachu posing with protestors and security.

And because nothing good is safe from AI—not even Protest Pikachu, arguably one of the purest pieces of iconography to come out of the resistance to the worldwide creep of authoritarianism yet—an AI-generated image of Pikachu rushing through the streets alongside protestors went viral shortly after Koçeroğlu’s video. Several local outlets have debunked the image, which is made to look like a high-resolution photojournalism shot from the ground, as being generated with AI. 

The AI image of Pikachu has gone nearly as viral as the real video of the person in a Pikachu costume running away from the cops, and shows how people looking to take advantage of any widely covered news event are creating AI imagery in near real time with the event itself. 404 Media saw various people sharing the AI image of Pikachu as though it were real, and on first glance it was difficult for us to tell that it was fake, especially because the real video of Pikachu running away is blurry. But, as several news outlets in Turkey have already pointed out, things like mixed-up lettering on the police jackets, distorted details, and inconsistencies in the street lamps give it away as fake.  

Pikachu has always been for the people, showing up at rallies and protests around the world. 

Erdoğan recently called the demonstrations "street terrorism,” which technically makes Pikachu a terrorist in the eyes of the president of Turkey. In the midst of widespread turmoil, President Donald Trump praised Erdoğan, calling him a “good leader.” 

Protest Pikachu isn’t the first to show up to an anti-Erdoğan protest in an inflatable suit: A young woman came to a protest earlier this week in a dinosaur costume. 

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is considering lifting sanctions on and resuming the sale of fighter jets to Turkey after a conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Trump expressed an intent to help finalize the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and is open to the idea of selling Turkey its true prized goal, F-35 jets, if the two sides can come to an agreement that renders Turkey’s Russian S-400 system inoperable, two sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

That agreement could look like partially disassembling the machinery or moving it to a U.S.-controlled base in Turkey. 

Congress approved the $23 billion sale of 40 F-16s and modernization kits for 79 in its current fleet to Turkey last year, but there are ongoing negotiations between Turkey’s defense ministry and Lockheed Martin, which builds the jet. 

TURKISH AUTHORITIES ARREST KEY RIVAL OF ERDOGAN

Trump’s team has asked for legal and technical analysis of how it could avoid finding Turkey in violation of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions, according to one source familiar with the request. 

The State Department and National Security Council could not be reached for comment. 

The U.S. agreed to extend a waiver allowing Turkey to buy Russian natural gas until May, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. 

Trump and Erdogan spoke by phone on Sunday, and the Turkish government is looking to firm up plans to bring Erdogan to the U.S. to visit with Trump in the near future. 

The Turkish embassy pointed to a readout of the call from Erdogan's office which said the president had expressed to Trump, "in order to develop cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense industry, it is necessary to end CAATSA sanctions, finalize the F-16 procurement process and finalize Türkiye's re-participation in the F-35 program."

Erdogan asked the U.S. to lift sanctions on Syria, where a new governing force, HTS, overthrew Bashar al-Assad with Turkish backing. The U.S. side did not provide a readout of the call. 

Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program following its purchase of a Russian S-400 mobile missile-to-air system due to spying concerns associated with having a Kremlin-operated system so close to a high-level U.S. technology like the F-35.

"The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities," the White House said in 2019, adding that the purchase would have "detrimental impacts" on Turkey’s participation in NATO. 

Ankara, Turkey's capital, had brokered the $2.5 billion deal with Russia for the S400s in 2017, despite U.S. warnings that there would be political and economic consequences. In an effort to deter Turkey, the U.S. offered to sell them the Patriot system, but Ankara wanted the system’s sensitive missile technology along with it, and the U.S. declined. 

The U.S. considerations come after the United Kingdom offered a price proposal to Turkey to purchase 40 of its Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets last week. 

A move to sell Turkey F-35s would prove controversial, and prompt concern from U.S. allies like Israel, where Turkey cut off all relations due to the Gaza war last year, and Greece due to disputes over Cyprus and the surrounding waters.

Experts describe the F-35 as a "status symbol." "The F-35 club is really for trusted allies," said Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

"This is a Turkey that supports the Houthis, which President Trump is bombing and supports Hamas and supports Hezbollah," said Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council. "We know that they don’t want to be a customer, they want to be a competitor in the arms market." 

TRUMP UNIQUELY PLACED TO ‘WHISPER’ IN ERDOGAN’S EAR OVER TURKISH REGIONAL AMBITIONS: GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER

However, isolating Turkey, which has the second-largest standing military after the U.S. in NATO, could push them to go to Russia and China for weapons supplies. 

"Trump's about making a business deal here, right? We don't need Turkey with nearly one million soldiers on the other side and leaning more towards Russia and China, right?" said Jonathan Bass, Argent LNG CEO and international trade expert.

"Turkey is an unresolved thorn in the side of the NATO alliance," said Schanzer, "It certainly seems to be a priority right now for the Trump administration to try to bring them back into the fold."

However, he added, "There's the democracy deficit and the autocratic tendencies of Erdogan. All of these things are creating a very cloudy picture for U.S. engagement. So it’s buyer beware." 

"Turkey is a major economy. We need them to come down on the right side of the fence. We need them from a supply chain standpoint," countered Bass. 

He added that the U.S. needs to partner with Turkey on mining for rare earths minerals. "Turkey has a lot more mining infrastructure," he said. "They can help us with mining operations in Africa. We don't have the people willing to do that."

"If you don't give Erdogan a seat at the table, he's going to make his own table," Bass warned. 

"He wants to be respected as he should. He's got 80 million people that he represents. But we need to give him clear lines of engagement." 

With hundreds left dead over the weekend under Syria’s new regime, Greek Foreign Minister Giorigios Gerapetritis warned Europe and the U.S. to "keep a close eye" on the ruling Islamist group that is working to gain acceptance by the West. 

Syria contains a sizable population of Orthodox Christians, and Gerapetritis insisted the international community demand religious minorities be included in governance, or else leave sanctions in place. 

"All ethnic and religious minorities should be included in the governance, rule of law," he told Fox News Digital in an interview conducted last week prior to the weekend's violence.

"The release of sanctions should take place mostly on a gradual basis. We need to see how it goes," he went on, adding that any lifting of sanctions should be "reversible." 

EUROPE MUST LEAD ON UKRAINIAN SECURITY GUARANTEES, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS: 'WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS'

"It is of the utmost importance that the U.S. and Europe are keeping a close eye on Syria. We need to encourage the new regime to stay close to international law." 

Days of clashes between those affiliated with Syria’s new governing force HTS and those loyal to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad have left hundreds of civilians dead. 

Death toll estimates have varied. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday more than 1,000 people had been killed, including 700 civilians. Another monitoring group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, reported that government forces had killed 327 civilians and captured militants and Assad loyalists had killed 148. 

It was the bloodiest internal clash since Assad was ousted in early December.

Fighting began Thursday after Assad loyalists ambushed government forces in the Latakia province, and revenge killings left entire families, mostly of the Alawite sect of Islam, dead in their wake, according to the United Nations. 

"We are receiving extremely disturbing reports of entire families, including women, children and hors de combat [surrendered] fighters, being killed," U.N. human rights commissioner Volker Türk said in a statement. "The killing of civilians in coastal areas in north-west Syria must cease, immediately."

 Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said the fighting was part of "expected challenges" and called for national unity. 

"We have to preserve national unity and domestic peace; we can live together," he said. 

Russia and the U.S. asked the U.N. Security Council to meet privately on Monday to discuss the violence in Syria. 

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham was founded as an al Qaeda offshoot but broke away from the group in 2016. In December, the Biden administration lifted a $10 million bounty on the head of al-Sharaa. 

The group has been trying to shake its extremist reputation and terrorist designation, with a smooth-talking al-Sharaa claiming he does not want Syria to become the next Afghanistan and he believes in education for women.

BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION SEEKS TO REIN IN ERDOGAN'S TURKEY OVER TIES TO US FOES

Gerapetritis also expressed "concern" about Turkey’s Blue Homeland Doctrine, which has prompted incursions into Greek waters. The expression refers to Turkey’s maritime claims over large portions of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in large part spurred by large deposits of natural gas off the coast of Cyprus. 

"We are concerned, you know, the Blue Homeland doctrine is a doctrine that goes against international law," he said. "Greece has abided by international law, especially international law of the seas."

Geraptetritis said relations between Greece and Turkey had improved in recent years – Turkish incursions of Greek airspace had "minimized" and the two countries had coordinated on tackling illegal immigration. 

"There must be a major step concerning the limitation of maritime zones. We’re not still there," he said. 

Greece and Turkey, both members of NATO, have had tensions for decades, though relations have improved in recent years. 

"I have to emphasize the fact that Greece is a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the broader region."

The foreign minister also boasted of Greece’s growing relationship with India, and views his nation as a gateway for India’s planned Middle East-Europe corridor. 

He framed it as a way to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative, where the CCP seeks access and influence across the globe by financing development and trade projects. 

"This major, plan is, I think, an excellent project," said Gerapetritis. "In order to diversify the routes concerning transport, concerning data, concerning energy. We are very like-minded with the United States when it comes to foreign and security policy."

China had swept in to help Greece financially during its public debt crisis, with Chinese companies investing billions in the nation at a time when most investors were spooked by its debt defaults. Now, Greece appears to be pulling away from that influence. 

"It is our firm conviction that we need to develop alternative cooperation and alternative trade routes [to China]."

• The US has 2,000 troops in Syria backing Kurdish-led forces to contain ISIS militants.
• The Trump admin is weighing withdrawing these forces, and the Russian military is losing its access.
• "Russia now hangs on by its fingertips," a Syria expert told BI.

Syria has been one of the world's most complex proxy fights since its civil war broke out in 2011, but who holds power and where is now shifting rapidly.

The biggest change came from the dramatic toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December. It was driven out by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who are no friends of Russia or Iran.

HTS holds territory from Aleppo in the northwest to Damascus, the seat of the Assad regime. But Syria remains fractured by competing armies. Turkish forces and militants it backs hold pockets near its northern border. The US-partnered Syrian Democratic Forces occupy the large triangle of northeastern Syria, an area that has oilfields and prison camps holding ISIS fighters. Russia is reducing its military footprint as Israel seizes new positions near the Golan Heights. But the newest question mark is the US.

The US has 2,000 troops in Syria backing the Kurdish-led SDF to contain ISIS. It also controls the strategically located al-Tanf base in southern Syria. But the longevity of those deployments is unclear. The Department of Defense is reportedly drafting contingency plans to withdraw all troops should President Donald Trump order it.

"Presently, the HTS-led government is seeking to create the conditions for a US withdrawal from the country that would undermine the SDF coalition, which represents an impediment to the emerging regime's ability to control all of the country," Nicholas Heras, senior director of strategy and innovation at the New Lines Institute, told Business Insider.

US forces in Syria safeguard oilfields and assist the SDF in strikes to defeat remnants of ISIS. These forces are potential leverage that Trump risks losing if he withdraws them before talks with the new government under interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"It seems likely that the Trump administration will keep troops in Syria over the short term and speak about a step-by-step policy of loosening sanctions based on President Sharaa's willingness to develop a constitution and move toward a representative government that does not threaten its neighbors," Joshua Landis, Director of the Centre of Middle East Studies and the Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told BI.

The easier chip in bargaining could be the US base at al-Tanf in Syria's southern desert. Controlled by the US-allied, anti-ISIS Syrian Free Army group, the base is situated near the Jordanian border and the important Baghdad-Damascus highway. The US enforced a 34-mile de-confliction zone around al-Tanf which Iranian-backed forces and Assad's regime weren't allowed to access.

"The US presence at al-Tanf was pretty dubious before Assad fell and it serves no discernible purpose now, except possibly as a point of leverage vis-à-vis the new Damascus government," Aron Lund, Middle East analyst with the Swedish Defence Research Agency and fellow with Century International, told BI. "So, al-Tanf could be a place they'll withdraw from first, perhaps after getting some little thing in return from Sharaa's government."

The SDF-controlled regions present a "thornier issue" with much higher stakes. The Kurds guard prisons with thousands of ISIS fighters, but they'd be hard-pressed to maintain these faced with a major offensive by a rival. While HTS has not attacked the SDF, the Turkish-backed militias have done so repeatedly since late 2024.

"There are some real political risks involved, related to an ISIS revival and the fate of Kurdish groups in that area," Lund said. "Even Trump could perhaps be persuaded that these things are worth negotiating over if only to limit the fallout before withdrawing."

Israel expanded its presence along the Golan Heights as Assad's regime collapsed, seizing Mount Hermon. Satellite images show it is building bases there.

"Israel does not trust the HTS-led government and the Israeli posture suggests that Jerusalem could play a strong role in Syrian affairs for years to come," Heras said.

The outside power that stands the most to gain is Turkey. Ahead of his recent visit to Turkey, reports indicated Sharaa would discuss Turkey potentially establishing bases in Syria's central desert region.

"Turkey already has a forward operating military presence in northwest Syria, and it is unlikely that it will withdraw its forces from the country in the near future," Heras said. "The HTS-led government wants to leverage Turkey to have a patron state to support the development of its security forces."

Russia, by contrast, stands to lose the most. Syria canceled an Assad-era contract with Russia to manage Tartus naval base but Syria's defense minister also said it might let Russia keep this port and the Hmeimim airbase "if we get benefits for Syria."

"Russia now hangs on by its fingertips, but we'll see how that turns out," Lund said. "In five years, they could still have Tartus, perhaps also Hmeimim."

Moscow has had access to Tartus since 1971. Today, these bases are essential to supporting Russian military and mercenary operations across the Middle East and Africa.

"The new Syrian government is obviously no friend of the Russians. It needs to be mindful of the views of its political base, which is made up of ex-rebel factions that hate Putin almost as much as they hate Assad," Lund said. He noted that Russia still has "important leverage" over Syria. Rebuilding the Syrian military without Russian arms could prove challenging, even if Syria aims to have Turkey replace Russia's traditional role as its main arms supplier.

"There's so much legacy Soviet and Russian equipment and training, you can't just throw all that out," Lund said.

Syria's new rulers have little to fear from Russia since the days of Russia relentlessly bombing HTS's Idlib stronghold in support of Assad are gone.

"The Russian bases are there at their mercy, and they seem fairly harmless for the new government," Lund said.

"Letting them stay could even provide a point of leverage."

Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region.

• Travelers encountered bedbugs on three Turkish Airlines flights, The New York Times reported.
• One passenger said they saw bedbugs fall from the ceiling onto another person's lap.
• A science teacher said found 13 bite marks on her body after her flight.

Turkish Airlines passengers told The New York Times they had encountered bedbugs on three flights in recent months.

Two incidents resulted in offers of minor compensation, and the airline told one passenger that "no record of any disruption" existed in relation to another, the outlet reported.

Matthew Myers, 28, told the newspaper he and his girlfriend were flying from Istanbul to San Francisco in October.

He said a passenger next to him drew his attention to bedbugs on the seat and falling from the ceiling, before some landed on the person's lap.

"Multiple passengers were asking to move seats after discovering bugs," Myers told the Times.

He said one passenger moved to a jump seat for flight attendants.

Myers said Turkish Airlines offered him a 10% discount on future travel that was valid through the following two months.

In another incident the same month, Kristin Bourgeois told the Times she found bedbugs on her blanket and pillow during a 10-hour flight from Washington Dulles Airport.

The 37-year-old science teacher said she found 13 bite marks on her body afterward and took photos.

After filing her complaint, Turkish Airlines told Bourgeois it required a doctor's medical report before investigating, per the Times. The report said her flight history was later removed from the airline's app, before she was offered 5,000 frequent flyer miles.

Patience Titcombe also told the newspaper she noticed a bedbug on her seat during a Turkish Airlines flight from Johannesburg.

She posted a picture on X in March with the comment: "@TurkishAirlines bedbugs on our inbound flight to IST is every travelers nightmare!!!"

Titcombe said a flight attendant disposed of the bug and dismissed her concern about it.

The Times reported that Titcombe complained through Facebook Messenger and email, and sent photos, although the carrier said "no record of any disruption" existed.

Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider and did not respond to a request from the Times.

The report comes after heightened concern about bedbugs in 2023.

During an outbreak in Paris, bedbugs were seen on public transportation. South Korea also launched a campaign targeting transportation hubs.

• Turkey offered to rebuild Syria's demolished military.
• It's an opening to grow its influence with its southern neighbor and counter Iran.
• "Turkey will likely try to fill Russia's role," a Middle East analyst told BI.

Turkey offered to help rebuild the Syrian military shattered by the fall of the long-ruling Assad regime and Israeli airstrikes, potentially filling a void left by Russia's diminishing forces.

Limited Turkish arms are inroads to bolstering the victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist movement in Syria, but Turkey will likely need financial support to pay for more extensive military rebuilding that could allow it to become the dominant foreign power in Syria, regional experts said.

"Turkey will likely try to fill Russia's role, including in relation to Israel," said Aron Lund, a fellow with Century International and a Middle East analyst at the Swedish Defense Research Agency. "A Turkish contingent in the Golan Heights, or even just a military liaison of some sort, could back up UN missions and serve as a buffer and facilitator between Israeli and Syrian leaders."

"It's exactly the kind of role Turkey would want. It would institutionalize Ankara's role not just in Syria, but in Arab-Israeli peacemaking."

Russia and the former Soviet Union were long the leading suppliers of military hardware to Syria under the rule of recently deposed President Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez, who died in 2000. Much of the former regime's remaining military stockpiles were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in December.

"While Turkey may play an important role in providing military hardware, it is unlikely to fully become the primary supplier of the new Syrian Army," Suleyman Ozeren, a lecturer at the American University and senior fellow at the Orion Policy Institute, told Business Insider.

"With Western reluctance to arm HTS's military and Turkey's limited capacity, Syria will likely need to diversify its sources of heavy weaponry, potentially increasing its dependence on Gulf Cooperation Council countries" — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These countries share an interest in countering Iran's influence.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa recently said it could take up to four years before holding elections. Turkey may have an opportunity to extend its influence in Syria by backing a viable government whose immediate needs are likely to center on guns, vehicles and drones to consolidate internal control.

"Syria is awash in arms, ministries and state agencies are largely staffed by people appointed under Assad's rule, and there's no apparent economic base for any of this," Lund told BI. "So, I would caution that Syria's next government is still pretty much a hypothetical thing."

"The new government will need military support and equipment," Lund said. "The old military, or what was left of it, imploded when Assad's regime collapsed."

Turkey is well-positioned to fulfill the new regime's likely needs. In Libya, in the wake of the Gaddafi regime's 2011 collapse, it equipped the UN-recognized government in Tripoli with Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 drones and Kipri armored vehicles, replacing the former regime's destroyed arsenal. The TB2 drones played a decisive role in pushing back the militia forces of General Khalifa Haftar in 2020 after they had besieged Tripoli.

Building up a large conventional army to compete with foreign rivals will not likely be a priority for Damascus anytime soon, and a ground-up rebuilding will take years and large expenditures.

"The primary needs of Syria's next government won't be to wage major conventional wars. Rather, they'll need the kind of stuff that helps them overwhelm local rivals, keep order in the chaotic rural periphery, hunt down Islamic State remnants, and patrol the borders," Lund said.

Despite having the second-largest army in NATO and a formidable domestic arms industry, Turkey could still struggle to build a conventional Syrian military from the ground up.

"In so far as that can't already be found in Syria, Turkey seems well placed to provide it," Lund said. "The question, of course, is who would pay for it. Qatar might be willing to step in to fund some purchases."

Turkey could train Syria's new military, host its officers for military studies in Turkey, and eventually hold joint exercises that could pave the way for a deeper alliance, Lund said.

But standing up a military in a devastated country may prove more challenging than fueling an insurgency.

"Turkey will likely pursue defense and security agreements with Syria while carefully navigating its relationships with Arab states to avoid diplomatic isolation," Ozeren said. "However, creating an army is very much different than supporting or creating a proxy force which could risk long-term instability in the region."

"Ultimately, the question remains whether Turkey has the capacity to provide the necessary training and hardware to establish a fully functioning standard army in Syria," Ozeren added. "The experiences in Libya and with the [Syria National Army opposition group] do not provide a definitive answer to this challenge."

Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region.

• Several airlines retired the Boeing 747 during the pandemic and Boeing stopped production.
• But the iconic "Queen of the Skies" is still operated by several country's governments and royals.
• That includes China's Xi Jinping and the Saudi King, who boards on a golden escalator.

The Boeing 747 has become one of the most iconic airplanes ever built since it was introduced in 1970. The double-decker aircraft pioneered the use of the term "jumbo jet."

But the "Queen of the Skies" is growing old, and its four engines are thirstier than newer, more fuel-efficient jets.

During the pandemic, airlines like British Airways, KLM, and Qantas retired their 747s, and Boeing decided to end production.

A handful of Boeing 747s are still flying commercially, but you're more likely to see one carrying cargo.

Yet sometimes, reputation outweighs efficiency. The 747 is still the jet of choice for 11 governments and royal families around the world.

Air Force One is the most iconic — although technically, it's not a 747 but a militarized version called the VC-25A. The jumbo jet is most popular among leaders in Asia, primarily the Middle East.

In alphabetical order, here are the countries that have their own Boeing 747s.

Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf, is one of many oil-rich nations on this list.

Bahrain Royal Flight operates two 747-400s which are both over 20 years old. They are used to fly King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and his family.

Brunei

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is one of the flashiest leaders in the world. His palace has over 1,700 rooms, more than 2 million sq ft of space, and a 110-car garage.

One of the few absolute monarchs on this list, he has one Boeing 747-8, which is operated by the airline Sultan's Flight.

Sultan's Flight previously had another two 747s. Its current fleet also includes a Boeing 767 and a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that was delivered in 2018.

China

China is the only country whose governmental Boeing 747 is actually operated by its flag carrier.

With the Air China livery, it looks the same as the airline's eight 747s on the outside. However, the one registered B-2479 is said to have been kitted out for the government to use.

During Xi Jinping's visit to South America in November, Air China deployed another 747 for other personnel, as well as a cargo version that carried a luxury Hongqi car, Simple Flying reported.

Morocco

Morocco has the lowest GDP per capita on this list, of $4,204. However, the royal family is one of the richest: Forbes estimated that King Mohammed VI had a net worth of $5.7 billion in 2015.

There are two jumbo jets registered to the country's government: a 747-400 and a larger 747-8. It also owns a Boeing 737.

The 747s have "Kingdom of Morocco" written on the side in Arabic, and stripes in the flag's colors of red and green. It's similar to the former livery of the country's flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc.

Oman

Like Brunei's leader, the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq also heads an absolute monarchy.

Oman Royal Flight operates two Boeing 747s. The older 747-400 was delivered in 2001, while a newer 747-8 was delivered in 2012.

The Sultan also owns a business-jet version of Airbus' A320 and A319 jets.

Qatar

The Boeing 747 pictured above may look like a Qatar Airways plane from the outside, but it is only used to transport the country's ruling Al-Thani family.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his wife, Noora bint Hathal Al Dosari, arrived on one of their two 747-8s when they visited the UK in December.

Qatar Amiri Flight has 13 planes in total — the most of any on this list.

Bloomberg estimated the family's fortune to be $150 billion. The country's sovereign wealth fund has myriad investments around the globe, including a substantial stake in London Heathrow Airport.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has the richest royal family in the world. Including its holdings in state oil company Aramco, some estimates put the figure over $1 trillion.

Among its six active jets is one Boeing 747-400, per ch-aviation data.

88-year-old King Salman travels with a 1,500-person entourage and two Mercedes Benz limousines, The Points Guy reported.

He also has a golden escalator to board and deplane the 747 — which once malfunctioned on a trip to Russia.

South Korea

South Korea's presidential jet is known as Code One — an upgraded 747-8 leased from flag carrier Korean Air.

It's the newest plane on this list, in service since January 2022.

"From decorating the exterior of the plane to remodeling the inside of the plane with customized facilities for the president, such as an office room and sleeping area, the plane needs to reinforce its protection function for the security of the president," an industry inside told The Korea Herald.

Turkey

After opposition politicians expressed concern about using taxpayers' money to buy a jet, Qatar's Al-Thani gifted Turkey a $500 million Boeing 747-8 in 2018, per the BBC.

The two countries grew closer after Turkey supported Qatar during a diplomatic crisis from 2017 to 2021, when other Arab states cut off ties.

The Turkish government also owns four Airbus planes.

United States

Air Force One is perhaps the most iconic governmental plane. However, it stands out from the rest because it isn't technically a 747. Instead, it's a militarized version called the VC-25A, meaning it can do things like refuel in midair.

However, it's over 30 years old, with two new ones in the pipeline. In his first term, Donald Trump renegotiated the contract with Boeing to limit costs below $4 billion. He most likely won't get to fly on the new jets, though, with delivery now expected in 2029.

• American warplanes pounded Syria with airstrikes as the Assad regime fell on Sunday.
• They hit dozens of targets in support of the anti-ISIS mission, which officials say will continue.
• The US isn't the only military conducting strikes amid the uncertain situation in Syria.

The US military has carried out extensive airstrikes in Syria since the Assad regime collapsed over the weekend, and it's not the only country on the hunt for targets in this uncertain moment.

American, Israeli, and Turkish forces have all been involved in bombing targets across Syria over the past few days in actions said to be in support of their respective national security interests.

For the US, this means continuing to go after the Islamic State, as it has done for years, but with an intensity to keep the group at bay. The Biden administration has stated that this mission will continue despite uncertainty about the future of Syria's leadership.

The US has repeatedly said that it is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS. "We don't want to give ISIS an opportunity to exploit what's going on," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, adding, "They love nothing more than ungoverned space."

Widespread military action in Syria

As rebel forces reached Damascus on Sunday and Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country, US Air Force B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets, and A-10 attack aircraft bombed ISIS targets in central Syria. The widespread strikes hit the terrorist group's leaders, operatives, and camps, said US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations.

A senior administration official, speaking to reporters, described the combat operation as "significant" and said the American warplanes dropped around 140 munitions to hit 75 targets. The US military said the goal of the strikes was to prevent ISIS from reconstituting in central Syria.

Jonathan Lord, a former political-military analyst at the Pentagon, told Business Insider the US military is "rightly worried that ISIS could slip through the cracks in the chaos," so it is hitting as many targets as possible.

Retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversaw US military operations in the Middle East in the 2010s as the Centcom commander, told BI that it's "good" the US is sending a clear message and taking action to prevent ISIS from exploiting the void in central Syria.

He added that it's important for the US to maintain a small presence in eastern Syria, calling it "a very effective and efficient way to keep tabs on this threat."

The widespread bombing since Sunday has, however, not been limited to just US actions. Israel has carried out over 300 airstrikes across neighboring Syria, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor.

Israel has targeted the remnants of Assad's former military, including aircraft, ammunition depots, weapons storage facilities, warships, radar systems, and additional assets, the SOHR said. Israeli officials have said these strikes are intended to prevent weaponry from falling into the hands of potential foes.

"Israel is taking no chances with their security and not waiting to find out if the new Syrian government is friendly or hostile," said Lord, who is now the director of the Middle East Security program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.

The Israeli military has also sent its ground forces across the Syrian border beyond a United Nations-monitored buffer zone that separates the two countries. The UN has criticized the move, which Israel said is a measure to protect its citizens amid the uncertainty in Damascus.

Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official, told BI that the actions are a "combined effort to try to minimize as much as possible the risk of growing military challenges following the current situation in Syria."

He said the Israeli approach likely includes diplomatic efforts to complement the airstrikes and buffer zone operation.

Meanwhile, a Turkish drone attacked a military site in an area held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the SOHR said on Tuesday. Ankara, which views the nearby SDF as a terror group, has targeted Kurdish forces for years. The US frequently works closely with the SDF on counter-ISIS operations.

"The Turks have a legitimate counter-terrorism threat that they, too, have a right to deal with," Kirby, the White House spokesperson, said in response to a reporter's question about action against Kurdish groups.

The widespread military actions come on the heels of the shock collapse of the Syrian Army amid a stunning, only dayslong rebel offensive that removed Assad from power. The longtime dictator had relied extensively on military support from Russia, Iran, and Lebanese Hezbollah to keep opposition forces in check.

US officials are blaming the fall of the Assad regime on the reality that these three actors have been weakened and distracted lately by their respective conflicts with Ukraine and Israel. Russia, in particular, used to exercise significant control over Syrian airspace, but the future of Moscow's military footprint in the country is now unclear.

The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the culmination of years of civil war, has given way to a power vacuum with different factions protecting their own interests – and vying for power in the Middle Eastern nation. 

The U.S., worried about the resurgence of an ISIS stronghold, has struck targets associated with the Islamic State in central Syria. 

Turkey, which controls a zone of Syria on its northern border, has continued to attack U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. 

Both work with different proxy groups. 

Here’s a look at the different forces vying for control in the region:

HTS was the key faction behind the fall of Damascus and the fleeing of Assad, and now controls the capital city. But the Islamist militant group is far from a U.S. ally – its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head and has been designated a terrorist since 2013. The group governed just a sliver of northwest Syria in Idlib. 

ISRAEL DEPLOYS PARATROOPERS TO SYRIA IN 'DEFENSE ACTIVITIES' AFTER FALL OF ASSAD

The group, founded as an al Qaeda affiliate, still remains largely aligned with al Qaeda but focuses on establishing fundamentalist Islamic rule in Syria rather than a global caliphate. 

The U.N., U.S. and Turkey all designate HTS as a terrorist organization. The group, in recent years, has worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist group, highlighting its government services in Idlib and promising to protect religious and cultural sites, even churches, in Aleppo. 

Experts believe Turkey, which has long looked to topple Assad, may have been at play in HTS’ offensive. 

Syria’s forces loyal to Assad have staved off coup attempts since 2011, often through violent crackdowns on protests and rebellion. 

By 2020, government troops backed by Iran, Russia and Lebanese Hezbollah had pushed rebel forces back to the northwest corner of Syria. 

In the waning days of November, rebel factions swiftly overpowered government troops, seizing control of Aleppo – a city previously reclaimed by Assad's forces in 2016. Eight days later, the insurgents successfully captured not only Aleppo, but also Hama, Homs and Damascus.

On Monday, HTS granted Assad’s forces "a general amnesty for all military personnel conscripted under compulsory service."

"Their lives are safe and no one may assault them," the group said in a statement.

The SNA is a loosely bound coalition of Turkish-backed forces primarily intent on fighting Kurdish forces. But the coalition, which carries out Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s anti-Assad efforts, was also involved in the fall of Damascus. The groups have – in the past – also battled HTS and other Islamic State terrorists. 

The SNA coalition believes U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria to be linked to Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group that has launched Kurdish nationalist attacks in Turkey.

SDF is a coalition of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, centered in northeastern Syria. They have long worked alongside the U.S. in battling Islamic State forces in Syria.

In addition to fighting the Islamic State, they’ve been fending off attacks from Turkish-backed fighters. 

US STRIKES DOZENS OF ISIS CAMPS AND OPERATIVES IN SYRIA AMID ASSAD'S DOWNFALL

Kurdish forces were not involved in the offensive that toppled Assad, but they hailed the offensive campaign. 

"In Syria, we are living through historic moments as we witness the fall of the authoritarian regime in Damascus. This change presents an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice that guarantees the rights of all Syrians," said Mazlum Abdi, the commander of the SDF, on Sunday morning. 

After relatively friendly relations with Syria throughout the early 2000s, Turkey condemned Assad over the violent 2011 crackdown on protesters. 

While Turkey and the U.S. are allies – bound to protect each other through NATO – they are on opposing sides in Syria, even as both celebrated Assad's downfall. The Turkish military fired on U.S.-backed forces in Syria over the weekend, where fighting erupted between rebel groups in Manbij, a Kurdish-controlled city near Syria's border with Turkey. Turkey has long had a goal of pushing the Kurds away from its border, and is looking to use the current turmoil to capture control along the border and decimate the Kurdish population there.  

Kurdish separatists have fought Turkey for years, looking to carve out their own autonomous nation. 

Russia has long propped up the Assad regime, and days ago granted the ousted leader asylum.

Since 2015, Russia has effectively acted as Assad’s air force, but its capacity to intervene on the dictator’s behalf has diminished since resources were needed for the war with Ukraine. 

Iran was Assad’s biggest supporter, providing arms and military advice and directing its proxy Lebanese Hezbollah to fight the insurgents. But Hezbollah had to direct its troops back to Lebanon to fight Israel, leaving Assad’s forces in a weakened position. 

HTS leader al-Golani lamented in a speech on Sunday that Syria had become "a playground for Iranian ambitions."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited his forces’ weakening of Hezbollah for playing a key role in the fall of Assad. Israel has consistently launched strikes against Syria with the strategic aim of disrupting the channels Iran uses to supply arms to Hezbollah.

After Assad’s fall, Israel, on Sunday, struck Assad’s chemical weapons facilities within Syria, for fear of what hands they may fall into in his absence. 

Israel also captured control of a buffer zone within the Golan Heights, the first time they’ve captured territory in Syria since the war in 1973. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) moved in on Sunday and told residents to remain in their homes until further notice. They said they needed to capture the territory to ensure border security. 

They also captured Mount Hermon – the highest point on the border between the two countries and a blind spot in their defenses that Iran had been exploiting to send low-flying drones. 

Some 900 U.S. troops remain in Syria, where they are partnered with the SDF to fight ISIS. 

On Sunday, President Biden said U.S. troops would remain there to "ensure stability." 

The U.S. carried out dozens of precision strikes on more than 75 ISIS targets in central Syria over the weekend to prevent the terrorist group from exploiting the unrest to rebuild. 

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"We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to re-establish its capability to create a safe haven," Biden said. "We will not let that happen."

Biden said the U.S. would support Syria's neighbors – Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel – "should any threat arise from Syria during this transition."

The president added that the fall of Assad created a "historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria."

• The US blocked Turkey from acquiring F-35 stealth fighters.
• Turkey wants the F-35s and may be willing to move the Russian air defenses that triggered the ban.
• President-elect Trump may favor a deal, but he'll likely face resistance inside his administration.

Until five years ago, Turkey had planned to buy 100 of Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jets to modernize its air force. But its acquisition of a top-of-the-line Russian air defense missile system dashed that plan, with the US barring Turkey from acquiring any F-35s out of concern the sophisticated Russian system could compromise its tiny radar return.

Five years later, Ankara hopes the incoming Trump administration will reverse its ban.

Turkish sources are signaling the discussion may go beyond an appeal from Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom Donald Trump built a rapport. According to Bloomberg, Turkey may agree to restrict its Russian S-400s air defenses in return for the US lifting sanctions. Over the summer, Greek media reported that Washington suggested Ankara transfer the Russian missile launchers to the American section of Turkey's Incirlik airbase, effectively putting them under American supervision.

"If Turkey agrees to a soft decommissioning of the S-400s by storing them at Incirlik under US supervision, it could significantly accelerate Ankara's reintegration into the F-35 program," Suleyman Ozeren, a lecturer at the American University and senior fellow at the Orion Policy Institute, told Business Insider.

"However, this move would likely require Moscow's consent, which presents a complex challenge."

That's not the only hurdle. While analysts see signs that Trump and Turkey may try to clear the impasse, any agreement could still face resistance in his cabinet and in Congress, which passed the 2017 legislation under which Turkey would later be sanctioned for its acquisition of the S-400 system.

Ali Bakir, a Turkey expert at Qatar University's Ibn Khaldon Center and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, sees "cautious optimism" in Ankara.

He attributes this to the belief that "personal understanding and communication" between Trump and Erdogan will resolve outstanding issues in the Turkish-US relationship, paving the way for a "fresh start."

"However, it is important to acknowledge that Congress also plays a significant role in this dynamic," Bakir told BI. "Congress has often been the most problematic element in US-Turkish relations, rather than the US president."

"Early indications suggest that Congress may not be particularly favorable towards Ankara," Bakir said.

Ozeren also anticipates Ankara could find "greater room to maneuver" during Trump's second term, especially as Republicans will control the House and Senate.

"In theory, this could increase the chances of obtaining US approval for Turkey's return to the F-35 program," Ozeren said. "Nonetheless, given the deeply strained relations over the past decade, any progress would likely be fraught with difficulties and setbacks."

Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the risk intelligence company RANE, believes Trump is personally "keen" on selling F-35s to Turkey.

However, Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is a Russia and China hawk and may prove "less flexible" on the requirements of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act that became law in 2017. Bohl sees "little sign" that the law will be overturned.

"So, it will remain to be seen if Trump can overcome these institutional hurdles to a sale to Turkey," Bohl told BI.

Before Turkey received any S-400s, Washington had repeatedly warned Ankara it would not tolerate F-35s flying in a military that also operates S-400s, fearing that could compromise the low observable radar signature critical to the aircraft's survivability. Placing Turkish S-400s under US supervision in Incirlik could resolve such concerns.

"The damage will never be too severe in terms of relations; what matters is whether or not the administration, and Congress, decides Turkey has done enough to limit the potential exposure of the F-35 to Russian intelligence and/or information gathering," Bohl said.

"That will likely be a split between Trump, who tends not to emphasize such risks, and the Pentagon and intelligence services, who do," Bohl added. "Even with a pliable defense secretary compared to Mark Esper in his first term, this consideration may still be in play."

Turkey has repeatedly asserted over the years that it no longer needs F-35s since it is developing its indigenous stealth jet, the TF Kaan. Despite these assertions, Ankara would most likely welcome another chance to acquire the fifth-generation produced by Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems; its powerful single-engine is built by Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of RTX Corporation. The F-35 is flown by 17 American allies.

"I believe that if the ban on F-35s is lifted, Ankara would definitely want to acquire them, despite other parallel deals, as Turkey cannot afford to be overly dependent on a single player in critical times," Bakir said.

At the same time, Turkey is developing domestic air defenses and has never put the S-400 into service in the five years since receiving them. The intervening Ukraine war, where Russian S-400s suffered losses, could reduce the value Turkey sees in them.

"Certainly, the S-400's combat performance against Ukraine has been mixed; Turkey may conclude that more advanced F-35s are in its national interest, particularly given Israel's recent deployment of F-35s against Iran," Bohl said.

"At the same time, F-35s will be reliant on US supply chains, and those could be interrupted over politics or because of other priorities that make resupply difficult."

Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region.

• In preparation for Thanksgiving, I looked for good ways to use up leftover turkey breast.
• I made a Thanksgiving-leftover sandwich but found it took more effort than it was worth.
• I discovered a soup that was so delicious I'd make another turkey just to have an excuse to eat it.

Each Thanksgiving, I cook a full family meal and have lots of leftover turkey in my fridge.

I tried making dishes with varying levels of difficulty to find the best leftover turkey recipes. I opted to make a Thanksgiving-leftover sandwich, turkey salad, and soup with slices of leftover roasted 4-pound turkey breast.

Here's how each recipe stacked up.

I began by making a Thanksgiving-inspired sandwich.

For the first recipe, I utilized all of my Thanksgiving leftovers to make a sandwich from The New York Times.

Our typical Thanksgiving leftovers include mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and green-bean casserole, so I bought a few store-bought versions for my test.

I also grabbed thick sandwich bread and turkey gravy.

The stuffing layer was the most labor-intensive part of the sandwich.

I began by mixing the mayonnaise and cranberry sauce to create a cranberry mayo and combined the chopped turkey and gravy to make a sauce.

Next, I made a box of stuffing, pressed it into a square pan, and refrigerated it until it hardened.

Once it was solid, I fried each side in a bit of oil. This step took the longest to prepare and required some planning ahead.

Unfortunately, layering all of the ingredients was pretty messy.

The sandwich recipe called for stacking layers of cranberry mayonnaise, gravy, mac and cheese, stuffing, green-bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and the turkey between two slices of bread.

I knew it would be a messy disaster before I even put the two pieces of bread together.

The sandwich tasted good but wasn’t worth the hassle.

Overall, the sandwich was messy and difficult to eat. When I tried to take a bite out of it, all of the ingredients slid out onto the plate.

I ended up eating everything with a knife and fork, which made me wonder why I went through the hassle of stacking it all into a sandwich.

Next up, I tried making turkey salad.

The easiest dish to make was the turkey salad, which was similar to chicken versions I've made in the past.

The ingredients were simple: celery, green onion, paprika, mayo, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and finely chopped leftover turkey.

I made a few changes to the recipe, but the dish was still good.

I don't like the crunch of celery or onion, so for this turkey salad, I changed things up a bit.

Instead of adding diced celery, green onion, and salt, I just added celery salt to flavor the dish without adding a harsh crunch to the salad.

The turkey salad made a great sandwich that I'd try again.

I love chicken salad, so I was excited to try the turkey recipe in the form of a sandwich.

It tasted great, as it had plenty of flavor from the mustard, paprika, and celery salt while showcasing the turkey.

Overall, I thought it was simple to make and, as an added bonus, required ingredients I already had in my pantry and refrigerator.

I'd make this turkey-salad recipe again if I had leftovers on hand.

Lastly, I tried a recipe for turkey soup.

I'm a fan of hearty fall meals, so I was happy to find a recipe for leftover turkey soup.

Out of the three recipes, the soup had the longest ingredient list, including long-grain wild rice, chicken broth, and diced carrots, celery, and onions.

After some chopping, I was ready to try the recipe out.

Right from the beginning, the soup felt perfectly rustic.

I love a soup dish that starts with cooking aromatics like carrots, celery, and onions.

Simmering the chopped vegetables in a bit of butter immediately set the tone for the savory soup I was about to enjoy.

Even before I added the cream, I could tell the soup was going to be good.

After sautéeing the chopped vegetables, I added chicken broth and a box of long-grain wild rice to the pot. Then, I let it simmer until the grains were cooked through.

I also added the half-and-half the recipe called for, though I think you could forgo it to make a lighter soup.

I'd cook another Thanksgiving turkey just to have an excuse to make the soup.

Once I added the half-and-half, the soup was creamy and ready to serve.

I thought the finished dish was so delicious, hearty, and savory. I loved the flavor of the vegetables and turkey.

My family returned for seconds, so we hardly had any leftovers the following day.

I wouldn't mind cooking turkey breast again just to make the soup.

The turkey-soup recipe was my winner.

Of all three recipes, the one I'd be most likely to make again is the creamy, delicious turkey-and-wild-rice soup.

Though the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich and turkey salad were good, I wouldn't go out of my way to cook another bird for either dish.

If I were looking for a way to use pieces of a leftover Thanksgiving turkey, I'd make the wild-rice soup.

This story was originally published on November 23, 2023, and most recently updated on November 27, 2024.

• As a chef of over 15 years, I've learned how to cook the perfect turkey.
• Make sure you have ample time to defrost your turkey and limit yourself to basting every 30 minutes.
• Despite what you see in the movies, carving a turkey at a Thanksgiving table just isn't realistic.

Whether it's brined, fried, basted, or roasted, turkey is a staple on any holiday table. The best way to make a turkey, however, is a never-ending debate.

There are some solid tips I've learned as a chef to improve any sort of holiday-turkey preparations and make this year's bird the best yet.

Consider the size of the bird

Despite the fact that many households prepare a turkey every year, it's easy to forget how much you'll need for a generous serving. Of course, you should also consider how many leftovers you want to enjoy without having so much turkey that it's wasted.

Plan for 1 pound of meat per person for a bone-in turkey. If you're going for just the breast portion or anything without bones, plan for ½ pound per person.

Decide on a cooking method

Any way to cook a turkey can be successful if you prepare your bird well enough. However, some methods work better for different kinds of birds.

Roasting at a lower temperature for longer will always result in a more tender turkey, especially if you spring for heritage birds, which typically have leaner, darker meat that retains moisture when cooked low and slow.

Experiment with cooking the light and dark meats separately for a faster cook. And don't forget Kosher turkeys already have some salt introduced to them in the butchering process, so be careful not to over-brine it, which can make it too salty. 

Always plan ahead

The bigger the bird, the longer it takes to defrost, with the largest turkeys taking up to three or four days when frozen solid. Though you can expedite the defrosting period by rinsing the turkey with cold water, I think that's also pretty wasteful.

If you don't have room in the fridge to store and process your bird, grab a cooler and let the turkey defrost there. Be sure to brine or season your turkey at least a day ahead so all those delicious seasonings penetrate the meat.

Invest in a good thermometer

A good thermometer lets you easily monitor your bird from beginning to end.

I recommend using an updated digital model with a probe that's inserted into the turkey and a thermometer that stays outside the oven so you don't have to repeatedly open the appliance as the bird cooks. 

Monitor the temperature of your turkey

Though salmonella should be a concern as you're preparing your turkey, according to the CDC, a turkey can be left out of the refrigerator for two hours or less without developing excess bacterial growth.

With this in mind, know you can take your turkey out of the fridge one hour before cooking to let it come to room temperature. This helps the bird cook more evenly, resulting in juicy meat and crispy skin.

Baste your bird minimally

When making a whole roast turkey, some basting is definitely a great choice. Just be aware that this process requires you to open your oven door and lose some of the heat from the oven each time you bathe the skin in pan juices.

Some judicious bastings will help keep the meat juicy, but few too many will prevent the skin from crisping. Limit yourself to no more than one basting every 30 minutes for the best results. 

Let the turkey rest

Plan to have your turkey done before the meal so that it (and you) can take a break.

Letting the turkey rest anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours will make a world of difference for the juices to redistribute and ensure that you have adequate time to carve and plate your turkey.

Carve and plate your turkey in sections

Though a deluge of movies show whole turkeys carved tableside, it rarely works out as well as it does on the big screen.

Once the turkey is cool enough to handle, break it down into sections by breasts, thighs, wings, and other parts. Pop them onto an oven-safe platter, cover the plate, and warm the turkey in the oven at a low temperature before serving.

To make things extra tasty, add some of those pan juices you used for basting.

This story was originally published on November 22, 2022, and most recently updated on November 16, 2024.

• I cooked a Thanksgiving feast using only Ina Garten's recipes, and it cost me $132.
• I made turkey, green beans, stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pie.
• I spent 10 hours cooking but the meal was beautiful and filled with delicious highlights. 

When I first became interested in food and cooking, I spent a lot of time watching Ina Garten on Food Network and pouring over her cookbooks and recipes.

Garten is one of the greats, so when I recently decided to cook an early Thanksgiving dinner for friends, it was a no-brainer that I'd put together a menu full of "Barefoot Contessa" recipes.

Like Garten, I kept things simple and elegant, choosing classics like roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Although I've been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family for more than 15 years, I learned new tricks and found recipes I would definitely make again.

Here's what it was like to cook a full-on Ina-giving.

The ingredients were surprisingly easy to find.

Fresh green beans, elbow macaroni, and goat cheese were on the ingredient list, which felt fresh, simple, and easy to acquire.

Still, since I was following recipes from a pro, I thought I'd probably have to go to five different stores to gather up all of the ingredients.

To my surprise, I found all the groceries I needed at Walmart in only one trip. 

 

I started cooking the day before and knocked out the apple pie first.

Garten's deep-dish apple pie was to be our dessert, so I made it a day in advance to save time on the big day.

The recipe called for a lot of citrus zest, but it was simple to get the amount I needed from oranges and lemons using my microplane grater.

I am pretty die-hard about following recipes, but I cheated a little on this one by using a store-bought pie crust rather than making my own. I was glad I did, as the meal was still plenty of work.

Next up was the cranberry sauce.

I prepped Garten's make-ahead cranberry sauce the day before, too.

I've made cranberry sauce from scratch before, but I prefer the canned variety, so I was curious how Garten's would stack up.

The recipe called for tart Granny Smith apples and lots of citrus zest, which required a lot of grating and chopping.

 

The stuffing was also easy to make in advance.

Garten's sausage-and-herb stuffing was next on my to-do list. I prepped this a day ahead of time as well.

It was easy to brown sausage, cook down ingredients such as apples and onions, and mix everything in a pan with toasted bread pieces. Using the straightforward, simple recipe, the stuffing came together easily and was a breeze to make.

Garten puts goat cheese in her mashed potatoes, which I'd never done before.

Day one of cooking also involved making Garten's goat-cheese mashed potatoes.

Since the mashed-potato recipe was full of creamy butter and milk, adding goat cheese seemed odd to me, but who am I to argue with Ina?

I prepped the entire recipe in advance, whipping my potatoes with a hand mixer. Then, I loaded the cheesy mixture into a baking pan and topped it with butter and Parmesan cheese.

The tomato-topped mac and cheese also felt unique.

My kids would riot if mac and cheese was not part of our Thanksgiving meal, so I chose a recipe that involved a fresh tomato topping to mix up our normal side.

In addition to topping the Gruyere-and-cheddar-based mac and cheese with fresh tomatoes, the recipe also called for a fresh breadcrumb topping.

I'd never made fresh breadcrumbs before, but I quickly learned it's easy. I just put slices of bread into a food processor and pulsed. 

With day one of prep work complete, I enlisted the help of a favorite Thanksgiving hack.

One of my favorite ways to keep things organized while cooking a big dinner such as Thanksgiving is to cover each pre-assembled dish with aluminum foil and write the cooking time and temperature on top with a permanent marker.

That way, when it's time to cook, I can easily see what needs to go into the oven at which time and I won't be searching for the recipes again to find the information.

On the big day, I started with green beans.

Garten's green-beans gremolata recipe is a big jump from my normal casserole, but I was excited to try a fresher, less creamy approach to the vegetable side. 

Like a lot of Garten's Thanksgiving recipes, the gremolata required lots of citrus zest, along with pine nuts, fresh herbs, and Parmesan.

After blanching the green beans and tossing them into an ice bath, I set them aside for when they'd be sautéed and tossed with the gremolata before serving.

 

The last item to prep was the bird itself.

In recent years, my husband and I have spatchcocked our turkey, a technique where you open the bird up, remove the backbone, and lay it flat for cooking.

We were a bit hesitant to try Garten's oven-roast turkey, as it was a way more traditional approach. After prepping the bird and stuffing it with garlic, herbs, onion, and lemon, we popped it into our oven and hoped for the best.

When everything was cooked and ready, I was really proud of the meal I'd created.

Although Garten's Thanksgiving dinner didn't look like my normal one, it was stunning when everything came out of the oven and was laid out on my kitchen island.

Everything looked delicious and elegant. I immediately thought it was one of the most beautiful meals I'd made in my life.

I spent about 10 hours in the kitchen in total prepping our Thanksgiving menu, and when I saw everything put together, I knew the time was well worth it.

The turkey turned out beautifully, but I'd probably stick with spatchcocking.

Garten's oven-roast turkey was beautiful and looked like something out of a Thanksgiving movie.

Still, I find the spatchcocking method allows for better planning when it comes to cooking time. With the bird laid flat, I think it's easier to predict how long it'll take to reach the correct internal temperature.

The cranberry sauce was a little fancy for my taste.

I'm a canned cranberry sauce girl through and through.

Garten's recipe was the most involved cranberry sauce I've ever made from scratch with its citrus zest and chopped apples. It took a lot of work and I don't feel it was worth it. 

It was a bit tart, and in the future, I'd stick with canned cranberry sauce.

Although I'll keep cooking my casserole for Thanksgiving, I'd make Garten's green beans again.

I'm a big fan of traditional green-bean casserole made with cream-of-mushroom soup and crispy onions.

Garten's green-beans gremolata was a different dish entirely — fresh and citrusy instead of creamy and full of umami. Still, it was delicious. 

I'd definitely make the side again, just not on Thanksgiving.

Garten's tomato-topped mac and cheese reminded us of grilled cheese and tomato soup.

I wasn't sure about topping mac and cheese with fresh tomatoes, but it worked.

The homemade breadcrumbs and elbow macaroni provided enough carbs that, when combined with cheese and tomato, it gave everyone at my dinner table grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup vibes. 

 

The goat cheese in the mashed potatoes changed the flavors of a classic.

 I loved Garten's mashed potatoes, but adding an ingredient as creamy and tangy as goat cheese definitely changed the flavor profile.

These were not your classic mashed potatoes. Instead, they were a more creamy mash with pungent notes from the goat cheese.

Although they didn't scream "Thanksgiving" to me, I would make them again as a side dish for a different meal.

Garten's stuffing converted me into a stuffing girl.

I've never been into stuffing, as it's always seemed to lack flavor and take up valuable real estate in my stomach — which I'd rather fill with the aforementioned green-bean casserole.

Garten's stuffing recipe, however, made me a convert.

The savoriness of the sausage and herbs combined with the tartness of the apples was perfection and I loved the freshly-made toasted cubes of bread we'd prepped the day before.

The deep-dish apple pie was a hit with my guests.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Garten's deep-dish apple pie, so much so that it was the only menu item we didn't have leftovers of.

Made with tart Granny Smith apples, the pie was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, combined with a crispy crust. We served each slice with a scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream, the perfect accompaniment.

I'm still proud of the meal I created.

Going on a 10-hour adventure through some of Garten's most iconic recipes was a lot of fun. Looking back, I'm still proud of my hard work and the beautiful menu I served my guests as a result.

I spent $132.77 on ingredients, which felt like a solid deal considering I was able to feed a dozen people, with leftovers. My usual Thanksgiving meals typically cost me more to prepare.

It was a lot of work,  but there are some great recipes I plan to make again throughout the year or for our next holiday feast. 

This story was originally published on November 9, 2023, and most recently updated on November 25, 2024.