\n<\/p>\n
Turkey fully suspends trade and closes airspace to Israel, a wartime-level rupture that analysts warn could fuel dangerous escalation.<\/p>\n
Turkey\u2019s full suspension of economic and trade relations with Israel, coupled with the closure of its airspace, marks an unprecedented escalation that could have far-reaching consequences, Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen-Yanarocak of Tel Aviv University<\/a> warned in an interview with Maariv<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cA country will completely cut its economic and trade relations with another and closes its airspace to its planes, only during wartime,\u201d Cohen Yanarocak said. \u201cThis move is unprecedented, removes mutual dependency, and could lead to strategic escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n The rupture followed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan\u2019s announcement earlier this week. According to Cohen-Yanarocak, the deterioration had been building for months. \u201cIt didn\u2019t surprise me. I\u2019ve been waiting a long time for these gradual steps,\u201d he said, pointing to earlier maritime sanctions. \u201cThe moment Israel declared its intention to expand the military operation in Gaza<\/a>, they made the decision that very same day to impose maritime sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli forces exposing surveillance devices that had reportedly been sold to Damascus by Turkey gave Ankara the trigger it needed. \u201cYou could say it was expected to happen, but they were waiting for a specific incident in order to play this card,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n