Turkey bars Israel from military drill ... and Washington 'pulls out' in protest

AP/ here

" ... Turkey's surprise cancellation of the air force drill, which was also to include the U.S. and NATO, was the first time its criticism of Israel has been translated into concrete action.....

A Turkish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, insisted that the decision was "due to a technical matter" rather than a political decision.

However, Israeli defense officials confirmed the Turks had banned Israel from the drill. "The exercise has been postponed as a result of Turkey's decision to change the list of participating countries, thus excluding Israel," the army said in a statement.

Israeli officials said that in response to Turkey's decision against Israel, the U.S. pulled out of the exercise, forcing Ankara to cancel the drill. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.....

Israeli officials are also concerned about Turkey's growing alliance with Iran. Israel considers Iran its greatest threat, citing Tehran's suspect nuclear program and its support for anti-Israel militant groups..."