Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is postponing a visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for this week, his office announced on Saturday, citing developments in multiple conflicts on its borders.

“In light of developments in the Gaza Strip and Syria, and due to a tight political and security schedule, Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to postpone his visit to Azerbaijan to a later date,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. “The prime minister thanks President [Ilham] Aliyev for his invitation, and appreciates the warm relations between the two countries.”

However, the Walla news site cited Israeli sources saying that the real reason for the cancellation was that Turkey would not allow Netanyahu’s plane to fly through its airspace. Alternative routes would have doubled the length of the trip.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to requests for comment on the report.

In November, President Isaac Herzog reportedly canceled his planned visit to the United Nations COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, because Turkey refused to allow Israel’s state airplane, Wing of Zion, to fly through the country’s airspace.

Herzog’s office announced that he was canceling the visit due to “security considerations.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip........

© The Times of Israel