Israel Seeks Turkish Airbase To Enable Iran Strike

[Purveyor]

When National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror arrives in Turkey on Sunday to discuss compensation for flotilla victims, he will also be seeking to lay the groundwork for the stationing of Israeli fighter jets in an airbase near Ankara, ahead of a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Sunday Times reported.

“Until the recent crisis, Turkey was our biggest aircraft carrier,” an Israeli military source told the London-based publication. “Using the Turkish airbases could make the difference between success and failure once a showdown with Iran gets underway.”

--CLIP
According to the Sunday Times report, Amidror is expected to offer Turkey advanced missile and surveillance technology in exchange for a base and training facilities at Akinci air base, northwest of Ankara. The move would see a resumption of the arrangement that was established in 1996 and remained in place until the two countries all but severed ties in the wake of the May 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara, when Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish nationals during the takeover of the vessel which was trying to reach Gaza.

A wary reconciliation between the two former allies was brokered by US President Barack Obama during the final moments of his visit to Israel last month. Just minutes before boarding Air Force One, Obama handed Netanyahu the phone and heard him apologize to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for any “operational errors” made by Israel during the Mavi Marmara incident.

Amidror will reportedly be arriving in Ankara with a proposal to sell Turkey a variety of Israeli-developed weapons and military equipment, including Arrow anti-ballistic missiles, an advanced visual intelligence system developed by Elop, and an electronic warfare system made by Elta. The latter two systems were reportedly sent to Turkey for testing before bi-lateral ties deteriorated.

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http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-seeks-turkish-airbase-to-enable-iran-strike/

[still_one]

1. I am very skeptical of this repot especially since Israel and Turkey are not on the best

Ted regardless of the presidents visit, and Turkey has its own issues with the Kurds and fundentalist Islam

In my view this is the media speculation/hope

[Tempest]

3. The report is correct, the end results are unknown. Turkey may reject. n/t

[Tempest]

2. "once a showdown with Iran gets underway.”

So now it's just a matter of when, not if.

[still_one]

5. There is NOT going to be a "showdown". It is in no ones interest /nt

[Tempest]

6. It's in the right wing Israeli government's best interest.

Otherwise they wouldn't be the ones banging the war drums.

[still_one]

7. It won't happen, this crap has been going on since bush invaded iraq

[JRLeft]

4. This will involve US tax dollars. It always does.