Israel’s army chief visits Turkey

Israel’s Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has traveled to Turkey to attend a NATO conference amid rising tensions between Tel Aviv and Ankara.

During his one day visit to Ankara, Ashkenazi will meet with his Turkish counterpart General Ilker Basbug and Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Ynet reported.

Ashkenazi will head to the NATO conference which focus on terrorism and international cooperation.

The visit was not revealed until Monday morning.

Relations between Israel and Turkey began to deteriorate after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly slammed Israel over its late 2008 incursion into Gaza and charged the regime with committing “barbarian” acts against the Palestinian civilians.