Netanyahu postpones Azerbaijan visit scheduled for coming week
PM’s office cites ‘developments’ in Gaza as reason for postponement though report says the real reason is Turkish overflight refusal
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
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 Erdogan has been one of the harshest critics of Israel during the Gaza war, and has cut off trade relations with Israel.
The IDF said on Saturday evening it is sending out tens of thousands of call-up orders to reservists, as the military is set to significantly expand its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, during a security consultation, the military presented Netanyahu with its planned offensive in Gaza, which will require substantial mobilization.
Israel’s security cabinet is slated to convene on Sunday so ministers can vote to approve the military plans authorized by Netanyahu.
In Syria, Israel has attacked hundreds of military sites since forces led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa deposed longtime leader Bashar Al-Assad in December. Citing potential danger following the ouster, Israel sent troops into the Syrian side of the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries.
It has also pledged to defend Druze communities in Syria from attack by jihadists and government forces.
In recent days, clashes have been taking place between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups, in the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana and Sweida province in southern Syria, the heartland of the Druze religious group.
On Friday night, the Israeli Air Force struck dozens of targets in Syria, including anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missile infrastructure.
Netanyahu was scheduled to take off for Azerbaijan on May 7 and return on May 11. He was set to meet with Aliyev to discuss talks between Turkey and Israel over Syria, which Azerbaijan has mediated.
They were also meant to discuss plans to formally connect Azerbaijan with the Abraham Accord framework and various initiatives, and to strengthen bilateral ties as well as trilateral ties with the US.
Azerbaijan also sits on the border of Israel’s archenemy, Iran, and access to the border is widely believed to represent a key enabler of Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear weapon program. Tehran has repeatedly expressed concern that Azerbaijani territory could be used for a possible attack on Iran by Israel, a major arms supplier to Baku.
However, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Azerbaijan earlier this week, in the latest sign of warming relations between the neighboring countries.
Relations between the two countries have been strained for years, largely due to Baku’s close ties with Israel and a January 2023 attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran.
In a recent sign of thawing ties, Iran and Azerbaijan held two days of joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea in November, according to Iranian media.
Azerbaijan is not a party to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over the Gaza war, and thus there was no danger that the premier would have been arrested.
The Times of Israel Community.