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Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev reportedly attempted to arrange a secret meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to information obtained and reported by Israeli media outlet Globes.
The initiative was reportedly abandoned after Türkiye blocked an Israeli "Wing of Zion" government plane from using its airspace earlier this month, which Ankara denied such claims of airspace permission for Israeli PM Netanyahu's flight, stating, "The allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plane was granted airspace permission are absolutely false. No such request has been made to us."
These claims had been circulating in the media, but the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has firmly refuted them.
After Israel's military operations and occupation targeting the Gaza Strip, Azerbaijan has maintained its position as Tel Aviv's closest ally in the region, refraining from criticizing Israel's military activities while maintaining stable oil supplies and even extending an invitation for Prime Minister Netanyahu to visit Baku.
This alleged incident not only prevented the potential summit but also led to the postponement of Netanyahu's planned visit to Azerbaijan, according to Globes. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not provide a comment on the matter.
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According to the report, this is not the first time Türkiye, which has imposed a trade embargo on Israel, has taken such action.
In November 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog abruptly canceled a scheduled visit to attend the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Baku. At the time, reports suggested the real reason for the cancellation was Türkiye’s decision to block Israeli access to its airspace.
Israeli officials had sought permission for Herzog's aircraft to fly through Turkish airspace on its way to attend the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku.
However, Turkish authorities rejected the application. Reports in Israeli media had earlier suggested that Herzog canceled his visit to Azerbaijan due to "security concerns."
Currently, direct flights from Israel to Azerbaijan typically require crossing the airspace of Türkiye, Syria, Iraq, or Iran.
Since early 2024, Türkiye has reportedly closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
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