Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar recently made a clandestine visit to Turkey, meeting with Ibrahim Kalin, head of Turkish intelligence agency Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT). This meeting occurred amid reports that Qatar expelled senior Hamas leaders who subsequently arrived in Turkey. An Israeli official clarified that Turkey will not serve as a mediator in any hostage negotiations. Instead, their role might involve exerting pressure on Hamas, with Egypt emerging as the primary mediator following Qatar's announcement.
Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Halevi
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's unit)
Earlier, a Turkish diplomatic source refuted claims that Hamas had relocated its political offices to Turkey, stating that members of the organization were merely visiting. "Members of Hamas' political branch visit Turkey from time to time. Claims that Hamas moved its offices to Turkey do not reflect reality," the source asserted.
Bar's secret visit followed the cancellation of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's planned trip to the climate conference in Baku, partially attributed to Turkey's refusal to allow Herzog's plane to fly through its airspace en route to Azerbaijan. Local Azerbaijani media initially reported on this, feeling slighted by Israel's announcement citing "security considerations" for the cancellation. Azerbaijani sources confirmed this to Ynet, and Israel acknowledged Turkey's refusal as a factor, though not the sole or primary reason for the cancellation.
Herzog was scheduled for a brief visit to Baku on Tuesday, with plans to use the "Wing of Zion" aircraft, designated for official overseas visits by the Prime Minister and President. A statement from the President's residence mentioned, "Due to a situational assessment and for security reasons, the President has decided to cancel his trip to the climate conference in Azerbaijan." Israeli sources noted security alerts; however, Jerusalem clarified that at no point was there a claim of a security issue within Azerbaijan itself.
The Azerbaijani response to Israel's announcement was less than favorable. A senior source in Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry informed the "Caliber" website that the reason for Herzog's visit cancellation was unrelated to security but was instead due to Turkey's prohibition of the use of its airspace by Herzog's aircraft.
"Unfortunately, intensive negotiations through diplomatic channels over several days did not yield results. Azerbaijan provides an overall concept for holding the conference and creates conditions for the participation of all parties. However, the situation regarding the Israeli president's visit arose for reasons beyond our country's control," the source added.
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