>> that is not the only option. >> cnn's arwa damon is tracking the latest from istanbul. at this point, it is not a question of if, but when. >> reporter: it really does seem that way. a lot of people were taken by surprise when it came to the president's tweet. especially given how contrary it runs to military strategy in terms of secrecy. there is a bit of diplomacy happening with trump talking to president erdogan. not a lot about what they spoke about, but the two remained in close contact as the situation continues to develop. turkey, of course, is in a unique situation in a sense it is a nato ally, but it has open communications to russia and iran. syria, itself, also und