The plane carrying Israeli President Isaac Herzog has taken an eight-hour route to Kazakhstan for his two-day visit after avoiding Türkiye airspace, according to Israeli media.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the aircraft followed an alternative route via Europe and Russia to avoid entering Turkish airspace, extending the flight time to eight hours.

In a social media post on X, Herzog confirmed that he had landed in Astana.

In November 2024, Türkiye also denied Herzog permission to use its airspace for a flight to COP29 in Baku, after which he cancelled the trip citing “security concerns”.

Relations between Türkiye and Israel have deteriorated since Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which later expanded to include Lebanon and Iran.

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