Turkey has sent a military delegation to support Qatar in the growing Middle East diplomatic crisis and said troops will follow, according to local reports.
It is not known how many troops will be deployed or exactly when.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Libya and Yemen severed ties with Qatar last week, triggering a regional diplomatic crisis.
Riyadh alleges that Qatar funds terrorism and fuels unrest in the Gulf. Qatar denies the claims.
Why is Turkey getting involved?
"Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, says Reuters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday denounced the isolation of Qatar as "inhumane and against Islamic values" and called on Saudi Arabia to urgently resolve the dispute.
A senior official from the UEA accused Doha of escalating the row by seeking help from Turkey and Iran, which has pledged to offer food and water supplies after transport links into Qatar were cut.
"The request for political protection from two non-Arab countries and military protection from one of them could be a new tragic and comic chapter," said UAE foreign minister Anwar Gargash.
However, some analysts warn not to read Turkey's decision as "picking a side", says the state-funded Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Atilla Yesilada, political analyst with Istanbul's Global Source Partners, said: "Turkey's military base in Qatar has always been, and still is, a symbolic gesture and nothing more.
"While Turkey values its partnership with Qatar and does not approve the foreign policy vision Saudi Arabia is trying to enforce on the small but influential emirate, it is also not willing to - and cannot afford to - pick a fight with Riyadh."
-
Political cartoons for November 5Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include five little piggies, narcoterrorist boats, the wealth divide, and more
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
The world’s uncontacted peoples under threatThe Explainer Indigenous groups face ‘silent genocide’ from growing contact with miners, missionaries and influencers
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Has Israel’s Qatar strike scuppered a ceasefire?Today’s Big Question Netanyahu ‘gambles’ on ‘overwhelming strength’ rather than diplomacy in attack on Hamas negotiation team in Doha
-
Israel targets Hamas leaders in Qatar airstrikeSpeed Read Hamas said five low-level leaders were killed in the attack
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
