On Thursday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a stern caution to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accusing him of involving Turkey in “dangerous adventures in Syria” and emphasizing that Israel’s resolve should not be underestimated in this regard.

“Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security,” Katz wrote on X. “It would be better for Erdoğan to continue his detached-from-reality, fanciful rhetoric against Israel in the Turkish Grand National Assembly than to attempt to test Israel’s determination to defend itself.”

This warning follows Israel’s recent strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Airbase, escalating tensions that Washington is now trying to defuse. The situation places pressure on the U.S., as it seeks to manage the volatile dynamics between Turkey, a NATO ally, and Israel, one of its closest allies in the region. Israel has alleged that Syria was close to violating a security agreement by facilitating Turkish troop presence there, though Turkey staunchly disagrees with this account.

Syria’s government indicated there were no plans for a lasting Turkish military presence or base construction, though Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani acknowledged that Turkish officers had been on-site for training and knowledge-sharing purposes. Turkey’s Defense Ministry also announced that no Turkish military personnel were at the base before or during Israel’s attack, as reported by Reuters.

On Wednesday, Turkey called these allegations from Israel “untenable,” arguing that they are “intended to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. … The imputations voiced stem from Netanyahu’s intent to pursue expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region ahead of the elections in Israel,” Turkey’s government said in a social media post.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Reuters Thursday that Washington was working on “a de-escalation process” that was already in place but still needed to be refined. Asked whether the dispute could lead to a direct Israeli-Turkish confrontation, Huckabee said, “I don’t think we’re even close to that.” He said Israel viewed Turkey as “moving further south” in Syria and perceived that as potentially threatening.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack sounded a sharper warning after the strike. Barrack said Turkey had received no advance notice and could have prepared a military response after detecting Israeli aircraft heading north toward Turkish territory. He said Washington was working to establish a more robust deconfliction mechanism among Turkey, Israel and Syria to prevent miscalculation or an accidental confrontation.

Sinan Ciddi, director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told News Media that Ankara is portraying the confrontation through a sharply different lens.

“Turkey is chalking up the increasingly escalatory climate between Turkey and Israel to election antics/propaganda by Netanyahu and driving a narrative that Israel does not want stable neighbors and regional powers in the Middle East,” Ciddi said.

At the same time, Ciddi said Erdoğan “seems intent on taking actions inside Syria that are perceived by Israel as military escalation,” citing proposed arms sales, military training and assistance, continued Turkish influence over former militia members integrated into Syria’s new army and, most significantly, “developing military bases with Turkish troops and sensitive equipment.”

“Israel established clear red lines about what it was willing to tolerate in Syria,” Ciddi said. “Deconfliction only works if parties implement the agreed upon rules.”

NETANYAHU WARNS TURKEY SHOULD NOT GET F-35S, CITING ERDOĞAN’S HOSTILITY TOWARD NATO ALLIES

The dispute was already being discussed at senior levels before the strike. Mossad chief Roman Gofman spoke with al-Shaibani on Aug. 14, four days before the attack, according to three sources cited by Reuters. The conversation focused on Israel’s concerns about Turkey’s military presence in Syria, including potential troop deployments, weapons sales and drones supplied to the Syrian military.

Attempts to prevent an Israeli-Turkish clash are not new. Turkey and Israel began technical talks in Azerbaijan in 2025 aimed at preventing misunderstandings or military incidents in Syria. Turkey’s defense minister said in June 2025 that those contacts were continuing as Ankara trained and advised Syria’s military.

Ciddi argued that a mechanism alone would not prevent further Israeli action if Ankara continued pushing against what Jerusalem considers its security red lines.

“To the extent that Ankara will push boundaries and attempt to position military capabilities that Israel feels is harmful to its safety, we are likely to see pre-emptive action by Jerusalem,” Ciddi said. “The ball is in Erdoğan’s court to not raise the temperature.”

Netanyahu is also facing criticism from inside Israel. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a longtime Netanyahu adversary, accused the prime minister Wednesday of deliberately escalating tensions with Turkey for political purposes ahead of the Israeli election.

“Turkey is not Iran or Assad’s Syria,” Barak wrote in Hebrew on X, arguing that Israel’s strategic disputes with Ankara could be resolved, moderated or postponed through discreet diplomacy coordinated with the United States.

News Media reached out to the White House, the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz for comment.

Tragedy struck on Martha’s Vineyard when a young boy lost his life after allegedly being left in a frigid car by his babysitter, who was said to be preparing a meal indoors. The heart-wrenching incident claims the boy called out for his father in his final moments.

The child, identified as two-year-old Frank “Frankie” Rodenbaugh, reportedly perished after being unattended in the vehicle for three hours in March 2025. The babysitter, 41-year-old Aimee Cotton, now faces charges of second-degree murder, as legal proceedings continue this week.

Details surrounding the unfortunate event emerged from a wrongful death lawsuit initiated by the boy’s grieving parents, Julie and Matthew. The suit, as accessed by the Daily Mail, revealed that Frankie succumbed to the cold, leading to hypothermia and eventual cardiac arrest.

In a poignant reflection shared with the Boston Globe this week, Matthew expressed his anguish, stating, “My 2-year-old son, Frankie, died calling out my name.”

He added, “I was not there when he needed me most. So I made him this promise after his death: I will be there for him now, and forever.”

‘I will never stop fighting for Frankie and advocating for the highest measure of justice in his case.’

Cotton was previously charged with manslaughter and child endangerment in October 2025 and pleaded not guilty to both counts. 

She was released on bail.  

A police report seen by the outlet said that on the day Frankie died, Cotton dialed 911 and reported that the youngster was not breathing and had turned blue. 

She initially told investigators she left the tot and a one-year-old girl in the vehicle for 15 minutes before finding the boy unresponsive. 

Investigators later uncovered surveillance footage from her own home, however, that showed the two children sat in the vehicle for around three hours. 

She then told officers that while the kids sat in the car she was cooking bacon, preparing her son’s hockey equipment and doing household chores, the report said. 

According to the police report, the surveillance footage showed her arrive back at her home at 9:22am and bring items from the vehicle into the house. 

Police said that over the next three hours Cotton ‘is not seen going to her vehicle, nor is anyone seen exiting the vehicle.’ 

At around 12:15pm Cotton was seen taking the girl inside for 10 minutes before returning to the vehicle, police said. 

For an hour, she was then seen carrying multiple items from the house to the vehicle, which police said included hockey equipment. 

At 1:15 she was then seen opening the rear passenger door of the car and first responders arrived not long after, police said in their report. 

Frankie was taken to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and later taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where he died six days later on March 19. 

When confronted with the discrepancies, police said in their report that she acknowledged leaving the kids unsupervised in the vehicle. 

She also acknowledged to officers that she did not provide them with food or water during this time, police said. 

The wrongful death suit was filed in January and alleged that she misled emergency teams about the circumstances surrounding his death. 

In June, a judge issued a stay in the suit pending the outcome of the criminal case held against her.  

An indictment was returned on Wednesday, with Cotton to be arraigned inside Dukes Superior Court in Edgartown in October.

An attorney for the Rodenbaugh family told the Boston Globe: ‘It has been an honor to represent Matt Rodenbaugh and watch his relentless fight for his son.

‘I commend law enforcement for its sustained and continued efforts on the case.’

The Daily Mail reached out to the Rodenbaugh family for further comment. 

PEEKSKILL, New York — Doreen Hodge found herself at a discount supermarket on an unplanned errand Monday afternoon. Although it wasn’t her original intention, the Peekskill, New York resident felt the trip to a budget-friendly store was necessary amidst today’s soaring grocery prices.

“The cost of groceries has shot up everywhere,” Hodge shared with ABC News. “I just came to this store on the off chance that what I wanted might be cheaper here.”

Food prices have become a focal point in the 2024 presidential race, and they continue to be a pivotal issue as the midterm elections draw near.

Reflecting back two years, then-President Donald Trump, in his campaign for a second term, stood in front of his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Flanked by tables loaded with recognizable food brands—from cereal to deli meats, milk, eggs, baby formula, and bread—Trump took the opportunity to criticize then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris for the escalating costs of everyday goods.

“Young people are suffering greatly due to the actions taken by this administration. Grocery prices have skyrocketed,” Trump declared during that address.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that grocery prices nationwide rose 2.7% over the year ending in July, the most recent month on record, which amounts to triple the year-over-year grocery inflation at the time of Trump’s 2024 address in Bedminster.

Food prices remain top of mind for many Americans. An Associated Press-NORC poll released in early August found that two-thirds of adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy.

That same poll found that 41% of Americans said they were concerned about being able to afford groceries over the next few months, up from 24% in April. Nearly half of Americans said the cost of groceries was a major source of stress.

Shopper frustration is more complicated than a glance at the latest inflation data, however, since many people react to an accumulated change in prices on store shelves, David Ortega, a food economist at Michigan State University, told ABC News.

Over a five-year stretch since a pandemic-induced bout of acute inflation, grocery prices have increased more than 20%, most of which took place between 2021 and 2022, a period when Biden occupied the White House, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

Outrage among consumers stems in part from the impact of those long-term price increases, in addition to a rekindling of grocery inflation since Trump took office, according to Ortega.

“The reality is the price level today is significantly higher than it was pre-COVID,” he said.

“We were able to make a lot of progress in bringing that rate of inflation for food down, but what we’ve seen in the past couple of years is food inflation has started to pick up again,” Ortega added.

And shoppers are noticing.

“We’re spending a lot of money but leaving with smaller bags,” shopper Aaron Thevenin told ABC News while leaving a grocery store in West Haverstraw, New York.

“You spend like almost double what you were planning to spend,” Lori Tetro of Cortlandt Manor, New York, said.

Peekskill, West Haverstraw and Cortlandt Manor all sit within New York’s 17th Congressional District, an area covering multiple suburbs north of New York City that is split relatively evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

Control of Congress could come down to districts like the 17th, which is currently represented by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. He has co-introduced a number of bipartisan grocery-related bills during his time in Congress, including the Lower Grocery Prices Act in 2025 and the No Rigged Grocery Prices Act in May.

Cait Conley, the Democratic candidate who is taking on Lawler in the 17th District, is pointing to rising supermarket bills as one of the reasons why voters should consider flipping the seat.

“You’re watching families have to make tradeoffs between filling up the grocery cart and the gas tank,” Conley told ABC News.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said Monday that Trump is “laser focused on bringing down the cost for everybody” and that he hopes that a coalition of nations working together to help resolve the war in Iran will lower grocery prices.

The White House, in a statement to ABC News on Thursday, said that the president has “implemented policies that have brought prices of key essentials ranging from prescription drugs to eggs to auto insurance down in historic ways.”

“The Administration remains focused on delivering more relief for American families, and as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz normalizes, energy prices — and thus overall inflation — will continue cooling again,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in the statement.

The Trump administration issued a statement in early August noting that “private sector companies are responding to President Trump’s call by delivering tangible price reductions on everyday goods and services — putting money back in the pockets of American workers and families.”

To Americans like Hodge, high grocery prices are continuing to shape their everyday shopping decisions.

“It’s terrible, but you do what you have to do,” Hodge said. “We all have to eat.”