Turkey closed skies to Israel President who skipped COP29 summit

Turkey denied permission for Israeli President Isaac Herzog's plane to fly through its airspace to Azerbaijan to attend the COP29 climate summit, which he skipped, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration closed the shortest and safest route for Herzog to travel to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, amid tensions over Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that aren't public.

Herzog's office announced Saturday that he won't attend the summit, citing "security considerations," without elaborating. Israel's ministers of environmental protection, energy and transportation are all attending COP29. Azerbaijan's government-funded Caliber news website said diplomatic talks to try to persuade Turkey to lift the flight ban on Herzog's plane yielded no result.

Erdogan is due to arrive in Brazil on Sunday for the Group of 20 summit, where he's expected to call on other leaders to impose an arms embargo against Israel, once a close military ally of Turkey. He has embraced Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union, and is seeking to pressure Israel to halt strikes on the Palestinian militant group in retaliation for the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed some 1,200 people.

Turkey, Israel Swap Trade Threats With Gaza Tension Rising

Before the fighting erupted in Gaza, Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were exploring ways to increase cooperation in energy and trade, and advance a nascent thaw in relations after more than a decade of tensions. Last May, Turkey announced a complete trade boycott against Israel.